MADRID, June 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The governments of Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom announced this Thursday that they would refer Iran to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the downing of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 which was attacked on January 8, 2020 shortly after taking off from Tehran.

The so-called International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of the tragedy has reported in a statement that, given that an agreement has not yet been reached to resolve the legal dispute, Iran must answer before the ICJ for committing “unlawful acts”. to security in the civil aviation sector”.

“The Coordination Group intends to continue its collective efforts to ensure that Iran is held accountable for the unlawful shooting down of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 by referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice as soon as possible,” it said in a statement. statement from the Ukrainian government.

One Iranian officer was sentenced in April to ten years in prison for failing to comply with orders, while nine others were sentenced to between six months and three years in prison for their involvement in the plane crash.

The commander of the Tor M-1 anti-aircraft defense system, who was sentenced to thirteen years in prison, thought that the plane was a cruise missile, so he ordered it fired despite not having authorization and despite the fact that it was against established protocol. . Two surface-to-air missiles were launched, bringing down the plane.

Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which was leaving Tehran for Kyiv, was shot down shortly after taking off from Tehran International Airport on January 8. All 176 people on board were killed, including Ukrainian, Iranian, Canadian, Swedish, Afghan, German and British nationals.

Three days after the tragedy, Iran admitted that it shot down the plane “accidentally” amid tensions over the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the architect of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy, in a US strike on Iraqi soil.