A new Canadian report looking into Iran’s probe into the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet in January has accused Tehran of not conducting the investigation properly and stressed that many questions remain unanswered.
The 79-page document, issued by Ralph Goodale, PM Justin Trudeau’s special advisor on the destruction of Flight PS752, emphasized that Iran cannot be left in charge of the probe, since its own military was involved in the incident. “The party responsible for the situation is investigating itself, largely in secret,” Goodale wrote, adding, “That does not inspire confidence or trust.” He noted that while international procedures assigned responsibility for such investigation to the country where the incident took place, the rules create a conflict of interest in military-related situations and lack safeguards to “ensure independence, impartiality or legitimacy”.
“This undermines the investigation's credibility and enables a sense of impunity in avoiding essential questions,” he said.
The Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737-800 bound for Kyiv took off shortly after 6 AM from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 8 and crashed just minutes after take-off. Though Iranian officials initially blamed the crash on a technical malfunction, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soon clarified that they had accidentally shot the plane down—killing everyone on board—mistaking it for a United States (US) missile when tensions between the two nations were high. Just hours before the tragedy, Iran had fired ballistic missiles at two US military bases in Iraq in response to the US’ killing of IRGC Commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Of 176 passengers onboard flight PS752, 63 were Canadians.
Though Canada offered its help to investigate the matter, Goodale said that the process of doing so was “complex and difficult,” given that Ottawa and Tehran have no diplomatic relations due to the latter’s designation as a ‘state supporter of terrorism’ by Canada. He added that Iran has “not yet been forthcoming” in answering Ottawa’s questions, including why Iran’s airspace was left open the night its military fired missiles at US bases.
“Many of the key details of this horrific event remain unknown to Canada, to the other Coordination Group nations and to the families,” said Goodale, adding, “Iran bears responsibility for that because—at least thus far—it has not conducted its investigations (safety, criminal or otherwise) in a truly independent, objective and transparent manner, and answers to critical questions have not been forthcoming.”
Canadian Foreign minister François-Philippe Champagne echoed similar concerns on Tuesday regarding the quality of information being released by Tehran but said that he would continue to press the country for answers. Canada and other nations who lost citizens are pressing Iran for reparations and a formal apology.
Canada Questions Iran’s Investigation Into Downing of Ukrainian Airliner
A new Canadian report looking into Iran’s probe into the downing of a Ukrainian airliner has accused Tehran of not conducting the investigation properly.
December 17, 2020
SOURCE: TIME MAGAZINE