Almost two years after the tragedy, a Canadian court ordered, Monday, January 3, that financial compensation be paid in compensation to the families of six victims of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner, shot down in Tehran by an Iranian missile.
In an Ontario superior court ruling, the judge awarded the plaintiffs C $ 107 million (€ 74 million) in compensation, plus interest. No details were given on how Iran will provide this money, but the judge said to himself “Convinced that a certain level of execution may well be possible and that a certain level of deterrence may well be established”.
On January 8, 2020, a flight between Tehran and Kiev, operated by Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), crashed, killing the 176 people on board, including 85 Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Iranian armed forces admitted three days later to having shot down the aircraft. ” by mistake “.
“Money will not bring back our loved ones”
At a press conference on Tuesday, lawyers for the families, Mark Arnold and Jonah Arnold, threatened to seize Iranian assets since, according to them, “The execution of the judgment undoubtedly poses challenges”. “We know where the Iranian assets are, we know where they are in Canada and we know where they are abroad”, said Mark Arnold.
“If anyone from the Islamic Republic of Iran or the Supreme Leader participates in this appeal… we will get your assets back, gentlemen in Iran!” “, warned the lawyer. “Money will not bring back our loved ones”, however reacted Shahin Moghaddam, one of the five plaintiffs, whose wife and son died in the accident. “The objective of this battle was to obtain justice as much as possible”, he added.
The plaintiffs’ defense urged the Canadian government to cooperate in this case so that families can obtain this sum. The judge concluded in May 2021 that Iran had committed an act “Terrorist” by shooting down the Ukrainian Boeing, paving the way for a claim for compensation from families of victims. In the process, Tehran denounced the judgment, declaring that the verdict had “No basis” and asserting that the Canadian court did not have jurisdiction to make such a decision.
Pledge of compensation of $ 150,000
In its final report released in March, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) laundered its armed forces. Ukraine denounced a “Cynical attempt to hide the real causes” and Ottawa a report ” incomplete “ and without “Hard evidence”.
In mid-December, a group of four countries – Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and the Ukraine – issued an ultimatum to Tehran, giving it three weeks to confirm its participation in negotiations on family compensation after several unsuccessful attempts.
In 2020, Iran said it wanted to pay “150,000 dollars or the equivalent in euros” to each of the families of the crash victims. This announcement had been strongly criticized, in particular by Kiev and by the head of the Canadian diplomacy of the time, François-Philippe Champagne. “The question of compensation will not be settled by unilateral declarations by Iran, but rather will have to be the subject of negotiations between states”, he had said on the eve of the first anniversary of the tragedy.
