Following the release of a Canadian investigation report on the circumstances surrounding the downing of the Ukrainian plane last year, which indirectly held Iran responsible for the tragedy by failing to take the existing circumstances and risks seriously, the victims’ families confirmed that the report is an important step, but not sufficient. The association of the victims' families stated today, Friday, that it intends to resort to the International Court of Justice to hold Iran accountable. They also demanded that Canada classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Furthermore, they considered that Iranian authorities have always been "out of service," negligent in explaining the reasons for the tragic incident, and emphasized that Tehran obstructed the arrival of the Canadian investigation team to witnesses and documents.
**Threatening to Impose Sanctions**
It is worth noting that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau affirmed yesterday that Iranian officials cannot evade responsibility by shifting it to lower-level staff, urging the international community not to allow them to escape punishment. In a message to the families of the plane's victims, he stressed that the government would explore all available options, including the International Court of Justice in The Hague and the possibility of imposing sanctions on Iranian officials. The Canadian report on the circumstances and causes of the plane's destruction, which lasted for eight months and was based on evidence and intelligence available to the Canadian government, previously stated that there was no conclusive evidence proving that the downing of the plane was "deliberate and premeditated." However, it did not absolve Tehran of responsibility, instead confirming that Iranian authorities failed to provide a credible explanation of how and why the plane was shot down by the Revolutionary Guard, according to what the former CSIS director, who led the investigation, stated.
**Risks Not Taken Seriously**
The mentioned investigation clarified, according to the Canadian "CBC News," that a series of actions and omissions committed by Iranian civilian and military authorities created a dangerous situation, yet those risks were not taken seriously. It is notable that the Ukrainian plane was shot down by missiles fired by the Revolutionary Guard in January 2020, at a time when tensions were extremely high between Iran and the United States, following an attack on a military base in Iraq housing American troops, shortly after the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, near Baghdad Airport. The guard claimed at that time, after delays and official secrecy, that they thought the plane was a missile, leading to its downing, resulting in the deaths of dozens of individuals holding foreign nationalities, mostly Canadian. Many victims' families also held Iranian authorities responsible for that tragedy, demanding public and transparent accountability of the Revolutionary Guard leaders.
