Ukraine calls Iranian trial of 2020 downing of airliner ‘sham’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine on Tuesday claimed that the trial and sentencing of 10 military personnel in Iran over the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian airliner is a “sham.”

“This week, Iran announced the verdicts in the criminal trials against the alleged perpetrators. The sham trials that took place in Tehran must not distract the world from Iran’s failure to meet its international obligations and take responsibility for its actions,” a statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry read.

The statement claimed that neither the trials nor the verdicts announced “bring truth or justice to the families of the victims, as the entire process starting with Iran’s biased investigation into the downing lacked the necessary impartiality and transparency.”

“The families of the 176 innocent victims are still waiting for the justice they deserve. We continue to stand in solidarity with the families and loved ones of the victims of the downing of Flight PS752 and will not rest until justice has been served,” the statement said.

Iran's judiciary on Sunday issued verdicts against 10 military personnel, including a commander, in the case of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752, which was hit by two missiles on January 8, 2020, after it took off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board.

The military commander who ordered the strikes was sentenced to a total of 13 years in jail on two counts, while the other nine accused in the case were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to three years, according to the judiciary's media center.