Four Countries Filed a Joint Statement with the UN International Court of Justice Against Iran

Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom on July 4, submitted the  joint statement with the United Nations International Court of Justice against Iran over the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in 2020. 

It is confirmed by the International Court of Justice.

In their joint statement, the nations assert that Iran violated several obligations under the Montreal Convention when members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down the civilian aircraft. The PS752 flight belonged to Ukraine International Airlines and crashed near Tehran, claiming the lives of all 176 passengers and crew on board. Among the victims were 11 Ukrainians, as well as individuals from Iran, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Afghanistan.

The plaintiffs argue that Iran "failed to take all measures to prevent the unlawful and intentional commission of the crime" and subsequently "failed to conduct an impartial, transparent, and fair criminal investigation and judicial prosecution in accordance with international law."

The joint statement also highlights Iran's previous failure to respond to the demand for arbitration sent in December 2022. As a result, the countries have filed a lawsuit with the United Nations International Court of Justice.

On January 8, 2020, a Boeing 737 belonging to Ukraine International Airlines was shot down in Iran shortly after takeoff from Tehran. Initially, Iran denied responsibility, but three days later, they admitted that an Iranian missile had unintentionally brought down the Boeing aircraft, mistaking it for a hostile object. Iran described it as a "catastrophic mistake."

In July 2020, France successfully decrypted data from both black boxes of the downed aircraft. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the decryption confirmed that the plane was hit by a missile and that it was in proper working condition at the time of the incident.

The investigation conducted by the Iranian side has been criticized by Ukraine and other countries involved in the accident. In February 2021, special rapporteurs from the United Nations published a letter to the Iranian government, accusing the country of numerous violations of international law, inaccuracies in the report on the tragedy, and an opaque investigation. Ukraine joined this call for action.

In April of this year, an Iranian court sentenced ten Iranian military personnel for their involvement in the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran in 2020. The commander received a 10-year prison sentence, while the other nine military personnel received prison terms ranging from 1 to 3 years.