Tehran/Montreal, Dec. 31, (dpa/GNA) – Iran on Wednesday said it would be prepared to pay compensation to the relatives of those killed when a Ukrainian passenger plane was mistakenly shot down by its air defence force.
Iran is willing to pay 150,000 dollars to the family of each of the 176 victims, the state news agency IRNA reported.
The amount should be paid “immediately,” according to the legal department of the Presidential Office, though IRNA did not name an exact date.
The announcement comes almost a year since the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down by two Iranian missiles on January 8 shortly after taking off from Tehran.
After initially denying any responsibility for the crash, Iranian officials were forced to admit that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defence battery unintentionally shot down the airliner amid heightened tensions with US forces in neighbouring Iraq.
In mid-July, the country’s aviation authority spoke of a “human error” in its final report.
The victims came from Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Afghanistan, Britain and Sweden. According to Canadian officials, 138 of the passengers had ties to Canada.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, who acts as the coordinator for the countries that lost citizens on the downed flight, said Canada and the other members of the International Coordination and Response Group (CG) are taking a coordinated approach to obtaining reparations from Iran.
This includes “not only compensation for the families but also an accounting of the events that led to the tragic result,” Champagne told dpa in an emailed statement.
To date, discussions between these countries and Iran have been in relation to the structure and modalities of future negotiations, he added. No other negotiations or meetings have taken place and no formal offers have been made by Iran to these countries, Champagne said.
“Reparations for the losses suffered as a result of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 will be determined in accordance with international law through multilateral negotiations between the CG countries and Iran,” Champagne said.
Hamed Esmaeilion, a spokesperson for the association representing the families of those who died on the flight from Tehran to Kiev, said most of all, the families of victims want justice and truth.
“This statement from Iranian regime just shows everybody that Iran’s government works as a contractor for IRGC,” Esmaeilion, whose wife Parisa and nine-year-old daughter Reera died on the flight, told dpa. “One kills, the other one writes the cheques.”
Esmaeilion accused the Iranian government of a whitewash and said no proper investigation was conducted.
The international community must act immediately to punish Iranian authorities and refer the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Esmaeilion said.
Champagne said negotiations on reparations are the best avenue to hold Iran accountable for its actions in downing PS752 and ensuring that it makes full reparations to the families and the affected states.
“We will continue to fight for justice and accountability every step of the way,” Champagne said.
The incident has repeatedly led to diplomatic tensions between Tehran and the five affected countries in recent months.
Iran had said it was ready to pay compensation in principle, but wanted to clarify all technical and legal aspects in advance. The other side accused Tehran of delaying tactics.
Iran has been in an acute economic crisis since the US reimposed sanctions on the country in 2018. The crisis has been further exacerbated this year by the coronavirus pandemic.
GNA