Flight victims' families reject Iran’s compensation, demand justice

Families who lost loved ones aboard Ukraine Airlines flight 752 after it was downed by Iranian forces in January said they would reject any compensation from the Iranian government and plan only to seek justice for the victims.

An association of the families issued a strongly worded statement addressing the Iranian government ahead of the anniversary of the tragedy. “The murderer cannot play the mourner,” the public message read, carrying out complaints about “mental torture” and other forms of pressure during the past 11 months on the families and attempts by the government to “hijack” the anniversary. It also accused Iranian officials of trying to sweep the “crime” under the rug and impose their own narrative on the international community.

The passenger jet was brought down within minutes of takeoff by two missiles fired from a base controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) outside the capital, Tehran. None of the 176 people on board, most of them Iranian-Canadians, survived the strike. For nearly three days after the incident, Iranian authorities denied any involvement, offering multiple explanations, including an engine failure. Yet under a mounting pile of evidence, they ultimately took the bitter pill, admitting a “human error” and promising to put to trial those behind the fired missiles.

Nearly a year after the tragedy, Tehran has not publicly named any perpetrator. “We are vigilant enough not to sign any compensation document. Instead, they must identify the murderers,” the families declared in their statement.