Canadian families who lost loved ones on flight PS752 seek justice in World Court

Canada and other allies are going to the World Court in The Hague to try to get justice for the dead, and hold Iran accountable for the missile strike.

Vancouver resident Arman Abtahi can’t remember much about the tragic day he learned that his brother Mehran, a post-doctoral environmental engineer at the University of British Columbia, was killed in the downing of Ukraine Airlines flight PS752.

The shock was so severe, Arman said, that much of that horrific day ended up being a blur.

“I remember I called my parents but we were not talking, we were just on the line, silent,” Abtahi said.

The paralysis of grief transformed into action, with Abtahi seeking justice for his brother and all the victims on that doomed flight.

Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have said they will refer Iran to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian International Airlines Flight over Tehran that killed all 176 people on board, the vast majority of them Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The four countries announced the move Thursday after the deadline passed for Iran to submit arbitration under the Montreal Convention.

“It’s long a journey but this is one step closer to justice,” Abtahi said.

Surrey resident Shahrokh Ferdowsi lost his cousin, dentist Dr. Farhad Niknam in the disaster, and told Global News in November 2022 the only thing that would help bring peace was “when we can find the Islamic Regime guilty of shooting down all these innocent people.”