Ukraine Flight: A Hundred Days Have Passed, and There’s Still No Sign of Justice
It’s a night I will never forget. I simply can’t.
It was the 8th of January, 2020, and I was heading to deliver a speech at our Islamic Centre. Upon my arrival, I see members of my community in tears. Mothers were hugging their children and the local mayor on her way. My phone was off for the majority of that day, and I quickly tried to figure out what had happened.
Haider, the director of the center, approached our car and tapped on the driver’s window, saying “I tried calling you to tell you about the situation here. It’s been like this for over two hours.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Haider responded, “The Regime shot down a plane; everyone died.”
We drove into the center’s car park, and I told the driver to stay inside the car as I quickly check the news. I read the headlines, and I wish I didn’t have to. I became weaker and weaker as I scrolled down the news articles. I then jumped on Twitter to find a set of photos and videos of the incident waiting for me in my direct messages.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired two missiles at Ukraine’s flight PS 725, killing all of the 176 people on board. Vigils took place across the globe and in almost every country. The world expressed outrage and disgust at the actions of the regime in Iran and their initial denial of the crime.
The question remains till today: Will the victims and their families ever receive the justice they deserve?
New Outrageous Developments
The Regime in Iran’s recent claims have been extraordinarily alarming and reflect no remorse whatsoever.
On April 5, 2020, Iran’s famous lawmaker Hassan Norouzi told a state-run Iranian outlet that “The Iranian military did well by downing the passenger plane,” adding, “Contrary to the official claims, no arrests have been made concerning the downing.”
He was joined by Hamdeli, stating that “the plane was no longer under the control of the tower and appeared to have come under America’s control.”
Norouzi then claimed that the passenger plane “was in Israel the week before the incident and appeared to have been tampered with and manipulated, there.” Despite there being no evidence for these claims, he continued to double down by insisting that the plane was being controlled by “other countries.”
“Given the fact that other countries were controlling the plane, our military forces did their job well,” Norouzi concluded.
On the other hand, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had actually accepted full responsibility, and the country’s Foreign Minister had issued an official apology.
Escaping Consequences
On the 15th of April, The Regime in Iran made an offer to Ukraine and the families of the victims. Their proposal was to provide monetary compensation and the publication of the black box data, on the condition that both Ukraine and the victims’ families don’t pursue legal action against the regime.
The Islamic Regime would not be paying a single dollar, as Qatar’s Emir has offered to pay $3 billion in compensation for the 176 passengers killed.
A hundred days have passed, and Iran insists on not cooperating with the international community or allowing independent investigations into the tragic incident.
On the 100th day, Ardeshir Zarezadeh, the director of the International Center for Human Rights in Canada, issued a statement saying:
Today marks 100 days since the Iranian regime shot down #PS752, but it has refused to hand over the black box and cooperate in the international investigation.
To make things worse, the regime in Iran is also using the current coronavirus pandemic to delay the arrival of justice. Meanwhile, tears continue to flow down the faces of the families of those killed.
