Iranians in London, Ont. demand justice 3 years after loved ones shot down in Flight PS752
CBC
More than 100 people from London's Iranian community gathered to commemorate the third anniversary of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which killed all 176 passengers on board.
Four Western University students were among those who died when the plane was shot down by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) while taking off from Tehran on Jan. 8, 2020. Fifty-five Canadians and 30 permanent residents were among the dead.
Hossein has fond memories of his classmate Ghazal Nourian, a PhD student at Western who lost her life in the tragedy. Hossein and Nourian's friendship goes back to their time as students at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology.
"She was a lovely person, who was really passionate about her work and she followed her graduate studies here," he said. "For those of us who had a close relationship with some of them, it was really hard. We were shocked and after three years, we still think about it."
CBC News is identifying Hossein only by his first name, as he fears his family in Iran will be persecuted if he publicly criticizes the regime.
At Sunday's vigil, those who came stood side-by-side forming a human chain that stretched along Oxford Street, between Proudfoot Lane and Wonderland Road. People held up signs and candles and were chanting slogans demanding justice.
Reina Rezaie remembers falling to the ground and crying uncontrollably after hearing about the incident three years ago. She believes the Canadian government needs to take stronger action against the IRGC, Rezaie said.
This includes listing IRGC as as a terrorist organization, ceasing all business negotiations with the Islamic Republic, and to expel IRGC affiliates who are still living in Canada, she said.
Rezaie's mental health has been impacted due to the stress of worrying about the safety of her family members who still live in Iran, she said.
Many her relatives have attended anti-regime protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who was arrested and died in custody in Iran for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
"Every single day I message my family and sometimes don't hear back from them because the Internet is really bad, but when I finally do, it's a huge weight off my shoulders," she said.
"I always ask if everybody's okay because I have nieces, nephews, and cousins attending these protests and everyday is a nightmare for us."
On Saturday, Iran hanged two men for allegedly killing a member of the security forces during nationwide protests. These latest executions now mark four known deaths of protestors.
Artin Ghassemian grew up in Canada after his family left Iran in 1998 when he was a child. He says he still feels a deep connection to his roots and that standing in solidarity with his community is the least he can do.