Iran Court Jails Commander, Iranian Forces Over Ukraine Passenger Plane Downing in 2020

Iran sentenced military officials involved in shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane in 2020
Authorities claim that the jet was shot down by mistake
The commander allegedly violated the order

A court in Tehran sentenced up to ten Iranian military members on Sunday for their role in the shooting down of Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 in 2020.

However, the sentencing has been branded a "sham ruling" by victims' relatives, who claim Iranian authorities have neglected to pursue those ultimately guilty of the catastrophe.

Iran Sentenced Officials Responsible for Downing Ukrainian Plane

CNN reports that the unidentified commander of the Tor M1 surface-to-air missile defense system that shot down the jet, killing all 176 persons on board, was the primary defendant in the trial. According to Mehr, the commander was sentenced to 13 years in jail.

On January 8, 2020, a Boeing 737 flight from Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran was on its way to Kyiv when it was struck by anti-aircraft missiles shortly after takeoff.

Days later, Iranian authorities confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force shot the jet down by mistake when an air defense operator mistook it as a cruise missile.

According to the final decision issued by the Tehran court on Sunday, the passenger airliner was shot down due to "human error." The commander launched missiles at the civilian aircraft twice, "contrary to the order of the command post and other instructions," according to the court.

In addition, two people controlling the missile system were sentenced to one year in prison, while additional officials in Tehran's air defense command and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aerospace section were sentenced to one to three years in prison.

Military Court to Continue Probe

Al Jazeera reported that the accused will also allegedly face further sanctions that have yet to be determined by the court. All sentences were preliminary and can be appealed after 20 court sessions. A military court has also been instructed to continue its probe into additional possible suspects.

According to the court, there were 117 plaintiffs in the case, 55 of whom testified in court and were represented by 20 attorneys. Per ABC News, the Iranian government intends to compensate $150,000 to each victim's family. It did not specify how the funds would be distributed to the families.

Since they began in 2021, the hearings have drawn international attention. At the time, a group of victims' relatives criticized the hearing and questioned the court's validity.

The organization also claimed that none of the defendants attended the sessions. Pour-Aghakhan, the head of Iran's Armed Forces Judiciary, stated that the judges and jurors "voted with the utmost justice and neutrality."

In retaliation for the US drone attack that murdered top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad only hours before the downing in January 2020, Iran fired ballistic missiles toward American positions in Iraq.

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