FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canada Must Find Iranian Regime Criminally Responsible Over Flight PS752 Atrocity

Toronto, Canada – June 28, 2021

The International Centre for Human Rights Canada (ICHR) held an event on Monday June 28 via Zoom to review the Canadian government’s response to the Ukrainian Airline Flight PS752 atrocity, including the recent Forensics Report in which the shooting down of the civilian passenger plane by Iran’s IRGC was not found to be “premeditated”.  

ICHR has reviewed the government’s forensic report thoroughly and concludes that this report does nothing to aid in the pursuit of justice for the victims of Flight PS752 and instead appears to favour the position of the Iranian regime. According to Ardeshir Zarezadeh, ICHR Director, Canada has not taken any meaningful steps in support of the families of victims of the Flight PS752 atrocity.

At the event, Member of Parliament James Bezan, Senior Legal Counsel Mark Arnold, two families of the victims of PS 752 atrocity, and ICHR Director Ardeshir Zarezadeh discussed the events surrounding the Canadian government’s actions and inactions in pursuit of justice for families as well as the government’s policy toward the Iranian regime. MPP Michael Parsa was also among those who spoke at the event.

Mehrzad Zarei, Arad Zarei’s father, said: “I waited for about a year and half, to see proper action for justice, on behalf of families, by the government of Canada, but unfortunately, what I got is the meaningless and shameful forensic report. The government of Canada must answer to us. Why are they turning their back to us?”

Shahin Moghaddan, who lost his 10 yrs old son Rastin and his wife Shakiba stated “This analysis did not add any new information that we didn’t already know. This Forensic report purposely, and with no evidence to prove at all in their own report, rejects all premeditated activity that regards this atrocity a terrorist act.”

Senior Legal Counsel Mark Arnold spoke about his firm’s dealings with the Canadian Government related to the legal action seeking damages for the victim’s families, stating “Look at what the government has done so far for the victims. It has done virtually nothing. The correspondence I have had with the (Canadian) government’s lawyer has been litigious, opaque, unclear, and unhelpful. The government’s lawyer has not helped in any way.”

Member of Parliament James Bezan said, “We have to hold these people to account. The regime is getting more hardline every day. The families here deserve justice, and the people of Iran deserve freedom.”

The participants urged Canada to take the Flight PS752 case to the International Criminal Court, the UN Security Council, and to implement Magnitsky Act sanctions immediately.

The ICHR will continue to work with the families of Flight PS752 victims, and demand the government of Canada take meaningful action to ensure the victims receive the justice they deserve, instead of dragging out the pursuit of accountability by such an insufficient and unethical forensic report.

A video recording of the event can be viewed here.

-30-

ICHR Media Contact:

Darya Shirin Kam
Communication Director
International Center for Human Rights in Canada
info@humanrightsintl.com