Iran issues final verdict on 2020 Ukrainian plane crash
Al Mayadeen EnglishApr 16, 2023
Iranian media reported on Sunday that at least 10 Iranian military personnel were convicted for their involvement in the shooting down of Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 in 2020 following the killing of the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
The commander of the Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile defense system that shot down the plane with two missiles was reportedly the case's main suspect, and he received a 10-year discretionary sentence for not heeding orders and three years for being an “accessory to semi-intentional murder.”
Contrary to Western media's coverage of this tragic incident, Iran has done everything to rectify this tragedy. Indeed, the incident was the result of human error, as, following the US's unlawful extrajudicial killing of a senior Iranian military commander, tensions were running particularly high. Justice has been served.
Though Iranian media is touting these court verdicts as justice, in reality, it was a closed-show trial that is an insult to the families of the victims. Canada, Britain, Sweden, and Ukraine should formally complain about Iran at the International Court of Justice and continue to press Iran on this heinous act.