A Canadian court has awarded more than $ 100 million in damages to the families of six people aboard a Ukrainian Boeing that was "accidentally" shot down by Iran two years ago.
Flight PS752 Tehran-Kiev of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), with 176 passengers, including 55 Canadians and 35 permanent residents of Canada, crashed on January 8, 2020.
Three days later, the Iranian armed forces admitted that they had shot down the plane "accidentally" because they had mistaken it for a US missile. The Iranian military was on high alert at the time after launching ballistic missiles at US military bases in Iraq in retaliation for the 3 US drone strike in Baghdad by Iranian General Iahan.
Ontario Supreme Court Judge Edward Belobamba awarded the plaintiffs C $ 107 million (€ 74 million), according to several Canadian media outlets, including the English-language CBC Network, which cited a statement by Mark Arnold. victims.
In May, the same judge ruled that Iran had committed "terrorist" acts by shooting down a Ukrainian Boeing, paving the way for the victims' families to seek compensation from Tehran.
Iran has condemned the verdict, saying it has "no basis" and that the Canadian court has no jurisdiction to make such decisions.
Relatives of the victims then filed a lawsuit against Iran and officials, holding them responsible for the accident, demanding $ 1,5 billion (€ 1 billion).
It is unclear at this time how the families will be compensated by Iran. Arnold said his team would try to seize Iranian assets in Canada and abroad, which could include oil tankers.
Last year, a report by the Canadian government concluded that Iran was "fully responsible" for the downing of the plane and that it was the result of "incompetence" and "carelessness" in Tehran.
For its part, in its final report released in March, the Iranian Civil Aviation Authority acquitted the country's armed forces. Ukraine denounced this "cynical attempt to conceal the real causes" and Ottawa denounced an "incomplete" report without "tangible evidence."
Source: RES-EAP
