On Sunday, November 21, the Iranian military court began a hearing over the military’s shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane in 2020 that killed 176 people, According to AP NEWS reports.
Ten military personnel — suspects from” various ranks” — were present at the session. Families of victims and their lawyers also attended the session, representing 103 legal complaints about the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight number PS752.
One of the judges said he hopes the court would issue a “precise, quick and serious” verdict, based on a “reasonable, fair, transparent, clear-cut and strong” procedure.
The court heard statements by lawyers of victims’ families, and the next session will be announced following further investigations by the prosecutor.
Suspects were not identified.
The meeting was attended by ten servicemen - suspects of "of different ranks", families of victims and their lawyers, who submitted 103 complaints. At the same time, the court protocol does not specify suspects.
One judge expressed the hope that the court would issue an "exact, fast and serious" sentence based on a "reasonable, fair, transparent, clear and strict" procedure. The court heard statements by lawyers of the families of the victims, the next meeting will be announced after further investigations by the prosecutor.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine made a statement at the beginning of hearings in the Iranian military court in the case of downing of the PS752 aircraft.
According to the statements, as of today, the requests for international legal assistance in criminal proceedings, sent by the Ukrainian side to the competent authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, have not been fully complied with, the requested documents and information have not been provided by the Iranian side.
In this regard, the Ukrainian MFA considered the participation of the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Islamic Republic of Iran in a formal court hearing, where the indictment will be read, to be inappropriate. However, the ministry did express its gratitude to the Iranian side for the invitation of the Ambassador of Ukraine to attend the first session of the hearings.
The Ministry called on Iran to comply with its obligations under international law and to provide the requested information to the Ukrainian authorities.
“Our aim remains the same - the truth must be established, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice,” the statement concludes.