Iran crash victims' nations demand compensation
January 16, 2020
Five countries whose citizens died when Iran shot down an airliner last week issued a joint statement on Thursday, calling for Tehran to pay compensation to the families of the victims.
Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and UK said Iran must hold a "thorough, independent and transparent international investigation open to grieving nations."
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The foreign ministers of the five countries met on Thursday at the Canadian High Commission in London.
"We are here to pursue closure, accountability, transparency and justice" for the victims, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in London.
"Families want answers, the international community wants answers, the world is waiting for answers and we will not rest until we get them," he added.
What has happened since the plane was downed?
All 176 people aboard the Ukraine International Airlines flight died when the aircraft was brought down by ballistic missiles shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 8.
The victims included 57 Canadian citizens as well as 11 Ukrainians, 17 people from Sweden, four Afghans and four Britons, as well as Iranians.
The foreign ministers said they welcomed Iran's engagement on the matter so far. A Canadian investigatory team is currently on the ground, having received cooperation and visas from the Iranian government in record time.
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Iran has accepted full responsibility for the plane going down, but were slow to admit that the downing was anything more than an accident.
The plane was shot down on the same day that Iranian missiles targeted two US-led coalition army bases in Iraq, as retaliation for the US killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian people have also taken to the streets demanding answers for why the airliner was shot down.
ed/stb (AP, AFP, Reuters)