Canadian families who lost loved ones on flight PS752 seek justice in World Court | 24CA News
Vancouver resident Arman Abtahi can’t bear in mind a lot in regards to the tragic day he realized that his brother Mehran, a post-doctoral environmental engineer on the University of British Columbia, was killed within the downing of Ukraine Airlines flight PS752.
The shock was so extreme, Arman mentioned, that a lot of that horrific day ended up being a blur.
“I remember I called my parents but we were not talking, we were just on the line, silent,” Abtahi mentioned.
Arman Abtahi’s brother Mehran was killed within the downing of Ukraine Airlines flight PS752.
Submitted
The paralysis of grief reworked into motion, with Abtahi in search of justice for his brother and all of the victims on that doomed flight.
Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have mentioned they’ll refer Iran to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian International Airlines Flight over Tehran that killed all 176 individuals on board, the overwhelming majority of them Canadian residents and everlasting residents.
The 4 nations introduced the transfer Thursday after the deadline handed for Iran to submit arbitration beneath the Montreal Convention.
“It’s long a journey but this is one step closer to justice,” Abtahi mentioned.
Surrey resident Shahrokh Ferdowsi misplaced his cousin, dentist Dr. Farhad Niknam within the catastrophe, and informed Global News in November 2022 the one factor that might assist convey peace was “when we can find the Islamic Regime guilty of shooting down all these innocent people.”
Seven months later, with Canada initiating the World Court course of, he mentioned he felt there was lastly motion on that entrance.
“At least this way we can force them to come forward and answer these question why did they do this,” he mentioned.
Dr. Farhad Niknam was killed within the downing of Ukraine Airlines flight PS752.
Submitted
On Thursday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly posted to social media to say the nation was taking motion.
“Time is up. We will proceed with taking Iran to the International Court of Justice over the downing of Flight PS752, as we promised to the families of the victims,” Joly wrote.
The announcement got here a day after the ICJ, also called the World Court, introduced that Iran had filed a criticism towards Canada over state immunity.
Iranian-Canadian lawyer Kaveh Shahrooz, who’s a part of the authorized committee that assists the Association of Flight752 Families, mentioned Iran’s transfer may “only been seen as reprisal.”
“Canada is claiming that Iran has not investigated the crime in good faith. That it hasn’t negotiated in good faith and that simply is not telling the truth,” Shahrooz mentioned.
Shahrooz has a private purpose for pursuing justice: his household can also be a sufferer of the Islamic Republic regime.
“My uncle, in the 1980s, was arrested at a very young age and executed after suffering horrendous torture and not having anything resembling due process,” Shahrooz mentioned.
“To this day I seek justice for him and know there are thousands of other families that want justice in similar cases.”
Kaveh Shahrooz’s uncle Mehrdad Ashari was excecated by the Iranian regime within the Nineteen Eighties.
Abdorraham Boroumand Centre for Human Rights in Iran
Shahrooz mentioned he’s crammed with hope but additionally mentioned it’s a tragedy that so many individuals needed to die earlier than the case may very well be pursued internationally.
The households of the victims of Flight 752 are discovering consolation of their efforts to carry Iran accountable on the World Court, and say they gained’t relent as they hold pushing for justice.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
