Iran refuses to recognise its responsibility for the downing of UIA flight PS752 in January 2020
Iran refuses to recognise its international responsibility for the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in January 2020.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated this following a meeting of the International Coordination Group.
The meeting was held this week.
The main topics of discussion were Iran's responsibility for its violation of international law and the need for full compensation for the damage caused by the downing of the aircraft. For the Group, full reparation means more than just financial compensation.
"The Coordination Group regrets that Iran remains unwilling to engage meaningfully with our position and continues to disregard our claims. Based on the discussions, which took place this week, the Group considers that our respective positions are too far apart to be reconciled through negotiations," the statement said.
In July, the International Court of Justice accepted a joint lawsuit filed by Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom against Iran over the downing of Flight PS752 by Tehran. According to the claimants, Iran violated its obligations under the Montreal Convention and "failed to take all practicable measures to prevent the unlawful and intentional commission of an offence."
In April of this year, an Iranian court sentenced ten military personnel involved in the downing of the plane. The court sentenced one commander to 10 years in prison, while nine other people received sentences ranging from one to three years.
It will be recalled that in January 2020, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight shortly after the plane took off from Tehran airport.
All 176 passengers on board, including citizens of Ukraine, Canada, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, and Iran, were killed.
For several days, Iran officially denied that the plane had been shot down but then acknowledged the fact and called the incident a "catastrophic mistake."
