Canadian court awards $84 million to families of 2020 Iran plane crash victims

A Canadian court has awarded $84 million to families of six people who were killed when Iranian forces shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight near Tehran in 2020. According to BBC, families’ attorney Mark Arnold said that they were awarded compensation by Ontario's Superior Court of Justice for the loss of spouses, siblings, children, nieces and nephews aboard Flight 752. On Monday, he announced the judgement by Justice Edward Belobaba and vowed to go after Iranian assets in Canada and abroad. 

The Iranian forces had shot down Flight PS752 after it took off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 8, 2020. The attack killed all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. Following the incident, the Iranian government blamed it on “human error”, saying that the plane was mistaken for a “hostile target” in a “disastrous mistake”. 

The relatives of the victims had then filed a civil lawsuit against Iran and other officials who they believe were to blame for the incident. Together, the group pushed for answers and accountability under the banner of the International Coordination and Response Group. They even accused Iran of showing “no interest” in adhering to its international legal obligations. 

Iran plane crash 

In a report, a special Canadian forensic team last year accused Tehran of "incompetence and recklessness" over the downing of a Ukrainian International Airlines flight. In response, Iranian officials criticised the report as “highly politicised”. Now, this is the first time that compensation has been awarded to families of the victims. 

Meanwhile, it is to mention that the downing of the plane came in the aftermath of US forces killing Iranian General Qassem Suleimani in a missile strike at Baghdad International Airport in January 2020. Following the incident, Iranian authorities initially denied responsibility for the incident. However, as evidence mounted, Tehran said that an air defence unit had mistaken the Boeing 737-800 for a US missile. 

(Image: Twitter/AP)