A year ago, on January 8, 2020, a terrible tragedy occurred that shocked the world community: in Iran the aircraft «International Airlines of Ukraine» which was carrying out the route Tehran-Kiev, all were killed, including the crew. There were 176 nationals of six countries on board: Iran, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and the United Kingdom. To this day, the question of who is to blame and why remains open

After a one-hour delay at Tehran airport due to a baggage overload at 02:42:47 UTC, the aircraft took off. At 02:44:57 UTC, when the liner was at an altitude of 2,416 meters, at a speed of 509 km/h, communication with it suddenly broke and it disappeared from the radar.

The Iranian authorities initially denied that the aircraft could have been shot down and insisted on the technical reasons for the accident. At the same time, some Western leaders, citing intelligence, claimed that the aircraft had been shot down by air defence systems. Three days after the crash, Iran did admit that the aircraft had been inadvertently shot down by the military as a result of a "human error" in a state of heightened alert associated with a tense situation with the US. The aircraft itself was one of the newest in the MAU fleet, operated by 11 highly qualified crew members. In its 27 years of existence, this is the first disaster.

The Iranian side promised to investigate, punish and pay compensation. However, the investigation procedure, as well as the issue of payments, had been protracted. For more than six months, the Iranian side attempted to decode the flight recorders independently and only in July handed them over to the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis of Civil Aviation Safety in France. The black box decryption confirmed the missile attack.

The main question of the investigation, for which no answer has been found for a year, is whether the plane was actually shot down by accident ? Iran insists on the "human factor" and the case is open on the counts of involuntary manslaughter or of negligent homicide. The maximum penalty in this case is up to three years' imprisonment and monetary compensation. At the same time, the Ukrainian side doubts that the plane was shot down by mistake. Although as early as January 2020, Iran reported that the man who shot down the plane and others involved in the incident were reportedly arrested. A total of six suspects were involved.

The Iranian Civil Aviation Authority released the final report in January 2020 (20.02.20). The reason for the fatal decision to shoot down the aircraft was the error of the air defense operator, who defined the aircraft as a "hostile object" and fired two missiles at it.

Iran did not invite Ukraine or any other party to write the draft final report of the technical investigation on the circumstances of the downed aircraft of the airline «International Airlines of Ukraine» near Tehran on January 8, 2020. Even the names and powers of the accused in Iranian criminal proceedings (State secrets) are unknown.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmitry Kuleba, called Iran’s report an attempt to conceal the true causes of the MAU aircraft’s death in January 2020. It is noted that the report does not answer two key questions: what caused the tragedy and how to avoid it in the future. According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly noted about negotiations with Iran, that Ukraine, like the completely civilized international community, is interested in transparency of this process. The establishment of a joint investigative team was proposed.

«Iran hides circumstances related to the plane crash of MAU Company in early 2020». The independent expert of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Agnes Kallamar, said that on 23 February in Geneva. According to her, the inconsistencies in the official statements of the Iranian authorities purportedly "create as much confusion and as little clarity as possible". The United Nations Special Rapporteur issued a 45-page question-and-answer letter, which she had sent to Tehran as early as last December, without having received a reply from the Iranian Government. Kallamar reported that, according to Iran, one of the reasons for the destruction of the Ukrainian aircraft was the displacement of the military radar position, which led to a communication error.

Iran did not provide an explanation for the change in the station’s position. There is also no explanation as to why the size and flight characteristics of the target were not verified before the attack. Kallamar also accused the Iranian authorities that looters had been allowed to enter the site of the disaster and then levelled the area without allowing the families of the victims to obtain their belongings

              The International Group for the Coordination of Assistance to Victims of PS752 made a joint statement on 17 March 2021: We, the Ministers representing Afghanistan, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, have taken note of the final Investigation Report issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the downed flight of International Airlines of Ukraine 752 (PS752). The Coordination Group has carefully studied the Report and its conclusions and is in solidarity with the families and relatives of the victims, who continue to suffer a grave loss. The Coordination Group will continue to demand from the Islamic Republic of Iran accountability, transparency and justice for victims».

The Canadian Government and security agencies have at their disposal an audio recording of a conversation between a man who is likely to be Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif about possible reasons for the destruction of an IAU aircraft near Tehran last January. The Canadian public broadcaster CBC News writes about it. The man on the record states, “There are reasons why this may never be revealed. They will not tell us or anyone else because, having done so, there will be open some doors to the defense systems of the country, public discussion of which will not be in the national interest” - said in the audio record.

Numerous related facts indicate that the shooting down of the civilian aircraft was not an accident. The motivation behind the crash remains a mystery to this day. Why was permission given to fly under these conditions? There are many other issues that point precisely to the responsibility of the State and not to isolated errors by unknown persons. The names of those responsible must be made public and judged in accordance with international law before an international tribunal.

Compensation for the families of the victims, given the circumstances of the disaster, should be well over $150,000. The final amounts will depend largely on international pressure on Iran.

Tetiana Bazanova,

International economist