In Iran, ten soldiers were sentenced to between one and ten years in prison for their role in the crash of the Ukrainian Boeing shot down near Tehran in January 2020, which claimed the lives of 176 people.
The first defendant, the commander of the Tor M-1 defense system, was sentenced to ten years in prison for defying orders from his superiors by shooting down the plane. Nine other soldiers were sentenced to terms ranging from one to three years in prison, Mizan Online said. The commander of the defense system has “fired two missiles at the aircraft operating flight PS752, contrary to command post orders, without obtaining authorization and in violation of instructions”, added this source. it’s about the “maximum penalty, taking into account the extent of the effects and consequences of his act”according to Mizan Online.
The Judicial Authority agency did not provide details on the identity of the convicted, including four defense system officials, a commander of an air defense base or an officer from the control center. Convicts can still appeal, the source said.
“The Association of Victims’ Families does not recognize the courts of the Islamic regime as legitimate courts”she reacted on Twitter. “We demand that an impartial international tribunal judge this crime. We aspire to fair trials in a free Iran”she added.
On January 8, 2020, the Iranian armed forces shot down this plane belonging to the Ukraine International Airlines company connecting Tehran and Kiev with two missiles, causing the death of 176 people on board the plane, the majority of them Iranians and Canadians, many of them dual nationals. Eleven Ukrainians were also killed.
” Human error “
On the night of the tragedy, Iran’s air defenses were on high alert for fear of an American attack: the Islamic Republic had just attacked a base used by the American army in Iraq in response to the elimination five days earlier, in an American strike in Baghdad, by General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s regional strategy, and Tehran expected a response from Washington.
After two days of denials, the Iranian armed forces had finally recognized their responsibility in this tragedy, evoking a ” human error “. And in November 2021, the judicial authority announced the opening in Tehran of the trial of ten soldiers “of different grades” for their involvement in the case. At the time, the Iranian judiciary said that “103 people [avaient] lodged a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office”claiming “an impartial investigation (…) to identify and prosecute those responsible. »
The belated recognition by the authorities had caused a crisis of confidence in Iranian officials. The tragedy of the Boeing, on board which were many students, had also provoked indignation and anger in Iran, especially among university youth. In early 2022, Iran said it had started compensating some of the families of victims by paying each “a sum of 150,000 dollars”promising to compensate the others.