Do Justice, return bodies, compensate, apologise: Ukraine's imperative to 'guilty' Iran

As his country mourns the death of those onboard the PS752 airliner, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for an official apology from Iran and also prosecute those responsible for the attack. In a statement, Zelenky demanded that the bodies of the deceased be returned to Ukraine and Iran pay compensation to the families. All 176 passengers died in the incident.

This comes after Iran's military on state television said that the incident happened due to "human error." Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, taking to Twitter, has said that it is an "unforgivable mistake." He also asserted that "investigation on this great tragedy continues."

The full statement by Ukrainian President

The Ukrainain President Zelensky said, "The morning was not good, but it brought the truth. Even before the end of the International Commission, Iran has pleaded guilty to crashing the Ukrainian plane."

In his statement, Zelensky further added, "But we insist on full admission of guilt. We expect from Iran assurances of readiness for a full and open investigation, bringing those responsible to justice, the return of the bodies of the dead, payment of compensation, official apologies through diplomatic channels. We hope that the investigation will continue without artificial delays and obstacles. Our 45 professionals need full access and engagement to establish justice."

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Iran's admission

A military statement carried by state media said that the plane was mistaken for a “hostile target” after it turned toward a “sensitive military center” of the Revolutionary Guard. “The military was at its highest level of readiness amid heightened tensions with the US. In such a condition, because of human error and in an unintentional way, the flight was hit.” It apologised for the disaster and said it would upgrade its systems to prevent such mistakes in the future. The responsible parties would be referred to a judicial department within the military and held accountably, the military said. 

READ | Full Statement: Iran says it 'unintentionally' shot down Ukraine jet amid tensions with US

Ukrainian aircraft shot down

A Ukrainian aircraft with at least 176 people aboard crashed on January 8 due to technical glitches just after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport, according to Iranian media reports. As per the reports, all 176 passengers on board the PS752 airliner had died. A spokesperson for Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, Reza Jafarzadeh had told the media that rescue teams were immediately sent to the spot near the airport where the aircraft belonging to Ukraine International Airlines crashed but they could not assist since the place was ablaze.

READ | Ukraine International Airlines plane crashes in Tehran; all 176 aboard dead

According to media reports citing Ali Kashani, a senior public relations official at the airport, the plane was heading towards Kyiv and had 167 passengers and nine crew on board. The Boeing 737 took off early Wednesday morning. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Facebook post that he would cancel the rest of his trip to Oman and would return to Kiev due to the crash.

READ | Ukraine Issues Stern Statement & Lists Demands As Iran Admits It Shot Down Jet Killing 176

(main image credits: AP)