Ten Iranian soldiers were sentenced to between one and 10 years in prison for the downing of a Ukrainian Boeing jet near Tehran in January 2020. 176 people died in this accident.
The first defendant, the commander of the Tor M-1 defense system, was sentenced to ten years in prison for disobeying the orders of his superiors by shooting down the aircraft. Nine other players were sentenced to between one and three years in prison, Mizan Online reported. The defense system commander “fired two missiles at the PS 752 aircraft, contrary to command post orders, without authorization and in violation of instructions,” the source added. According to Mizan Online, this is “the maximum punishment given the scale and consequences of his action”.
read more: Boeing crash in Iran: Tehran forced to take responsibility
The judicial commission did not provide details on the identity of those convicted, including four security forces officials, an air defense base commander or an officer at the control centre. The accused may still appeal, the source said.
On January 8, 2020, the Iranian Armed Forces shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight connecting Tehran and Kiev with two missiles, killing 176 people on board, most of them Iranians and Canadians, many of them dual citizens. 11 Ukrainians were also killed. “The Association of Victims’ Families does not recognize the courts of Islamic rule as legitimate courts,” he responded on Twitter. “We demand that this crime be judged by an impartial international court. We want fair trials in an independent Iran,” he added.
A tense atmosphere
On the night of the tragedy, Iran’s air defenses were on high alert for fear of a US attack: The Islamic Republic had attacked a base used by the US military in Iraq in response to its removal in a US strike five days earlier. Baghdad, General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s regional strategy, and Tehran expected a response from Washington.
After two days of denials, the Iranian armed forces finally acknowledged their responsibility for the tragedy, calling it “human error”. In November 2021, the judicial authority announced the start of the trial of ten soldiers “in different positions” in Tehran. Then, the Iranian judge said, “103 people [avaient] The prosecution sought an impartial investigation (…) to identify and prosecute the accused. Officials’ delayed recognition created a crisis of confidence in Iranian officials.
Compensation was paid to the families of the victims
The tragedy at Boeing, where many students were present, sparked outrage and anger in Iran, especially among university youth. Iran said it had begun reparations by early 2022, paying “$150,000” to some of the victims’ families and promising to compensate others.
In December of the same year, a group of four countries led by Canada announced that they had requested that Tehran submit to a binding arbitration to “hold Iran accountable” for the accident. Canada, Ukraine, Sweden and the United Kingdom relied on the 1971 Montreal Convention, which regulates crimes against civil aviation, to request this arbitration.
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