Relatives of victims of a Ukraine International Airlines plane crash over Iran in early 2020 are entitled to 107 million Canadian dollars. That has been ruled by a Canadian court.
The Canadian state of Ontario court ruled in May that the plane had been shot down in a terrorist act, paving the way for compensation.
The plane was shot down shortly after leaving Tehran on January 8, 2020, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who later blamed it on radar problems and human error. All 176 on board were killed, including 55 Canadians and 35 people living in Canada.
The relatives of six victims who say the missile attack was retaliation for top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was recently liquidated by the US, had asked Iran for 1.5 billion dollars in damages. The judge ultimately decided to award them damages totalling 107 million Canadian dollars.
Iran had previously admitted to making a mistake during the tensions. Tehran has, however, refused steps to offer compensation. Instead, it believes that legal proceedings should take place in Iran.
According to the Canadian public broadcaster CBC, it is not yet clear how the money from Iran will get to the victim. Lawyers now want to seize Iranian assets in Canada and elsewhere. According to one of the lawyers, Iran owns oil tankers in several countries and his team will confiscate everything possible to give the families the money they deserve.
Canada, Ukraine, Sweden and the United Kingdom, all countries whose residents have lost their lives, have threatened legal action if the Iranian government does not provide an acceptable response by January 5.
Iran has not defended itself in court, according to CBC. The State Department called the May ruling – which labelled the crash an act of terror – shameful and said the court had no legitimate evidence.