Three-year downing of Ukrainian airliner – prison sentences announced in Iran

In Iran, the judiciary has sentenced ten soldiers in connection with the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane three years ago. As the justice portal Misan announced on Sunday, a military court has sentenced an air defense commander to 13 years in prison after a total of 20 hearings. Another nine suspects received prison terms of several years.

To this day, many stragglers and critics believe that Tehran has tried to cover up the matter and failed to adequately hold those responsible accountable. In particular, Canadian-based activist Hamed Esmaeilion, who lost his family in the shooting, has since been involved in the exile opposition to the Islamic Republic and also acted as an opinion leader in the 2022 protests abroad. in the Islamic Republic,” Esmailion criticized the verdict. He described the trial as a show trial and again accused Tehran of deliberately shooting down the plane.

The court called the verdict human error and promised the families of the bereaved families $150,000 each in damages. Amid military tensions with the United States, Iranian air defenses shot down the Ukrainian Boeing machine on January 8, 2020, shortly after takeoff from Tehran. All 176 people on board were killed. (sda/dpa)