London: In an effort to hold Iran responsible for the downing of an airliner by Iranian forces in 2020, Canada, Britain, Sweden, and Ukraine will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice.
A coordination group was formed to hold Iran accountable after the majority of the 176 people killed when Iran shot down the Ukrainian jet near Tehran in January 2020 were nationals of those four nations.
At a time when tensions between Tehran and Washington were at an all-time high, Iran claims that its Revolutionary Guards accidentally shot down the Boeing 737 plane and placed the blame on a misaligned radar and a mistake by the air defence operator.
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In accordance with the terms of the Montreal Convention of 1971, an international agreement requiring states to prevent and punish violations of civil aviation, the four countries had earlier requested that Iran submit to arbitration. On Thursday, the deadline for a settlement expired.
The UN's highest court had also received a separate complaint from Iran accusing Canada of breaking international law by allowing people to sue Tehran for damages. Iran's application was being examined, according to Ottawa, which stated it "will take the appropriate next steps in accordance with the International Court of Justice's procedures."
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A Canadian court awarded the families of the six victims of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' downing of the Ukraine International Airlines plane C$107 million ($81 million), plus interest, last year.
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Iran was on high alert for potential attacks at the time after firing missiles at Iraqi bases housing US forces in retaliation for the US killing its most powerful military warlord, Qassem Soleimani, with a missile strike just days earlier. In 2012, Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran and declared it a state that supports extremism.
It also recently imposed sanctions on Iran in response to allegations of violations of human rights and the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who passed away while under the control of Iran's strict morality police, which enforced dress codes.