Iran sentences 10 military personnel over 2020 Ukraine jet downing

TEHRAN - Iran has sentenced 10 military personnel in connection with the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane three years ago by anti-aircraft fire shortly after it took off from Tehran.

A military court sentenced an air defence commander to 13 years in prison after a total of 20 hearings, German news agency (dpa) reported, quoting judicial site Misan’s report on Sunday. The court sentenced nine other personnel to terms of several years.

Many critics say Tehran tried to cover up the case and has not gone far enough to hold those responsible accountable.

Criticism came from Hamed Esmaeilion, a well-known Iranian activist living in Canada who lost his family in the incident and has been involved in the exile opposition against Iran. He has also appeared as an opinion leader abroad during the 2022 protests.

Esmaeilion called the trial a show trial and again accused Tehran of deliberately shooting down the plane.

In its verdict, the court attributed the downing of the plane to human error and awarded the bereaved families US$150,000 each in compensation for their pain and suffering.

The Ukrainian International Airlines' Boeing 737-800 plane was on its way from Tehran to Kyiv. Many passengers had connecting flights to Canada.

Amid military tensions with the United States, Iranian air defences shot down flight 752 shortly after take-off from Tehran on Jan 8, 2020. All 176 people aboard the plane died.

The victims were from Ukraine and Iran, as well as from Canada, Afghanistan, Britain and Sweden. - BERNAMA