In Iran, the judiciary convicted ten military personnel in connection with the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane three years ago. As the justice portal Misan announced today, a military court sentenced an air defense commander to 13 years in prison after a total of 20 hearings. A further nine suspects received prison sentences of several years.
To this day, many of those left behind and critics are of the opinion that Tehran tried to cover up the case and failed to hold those responsible sufficiently accountable. In particular, Canada-based activist Hamed Esmaeilion, who lost his family in the shooting down, has since been involved in the exile opposition to the Islamic Republic and also acted as an opinion leader in the 2022 protests abroad.
The court spoke of human error in the verdict and promised the families of the bereaved $150,000 each in damages. In the midst of military tensions with the USA, the Iranian air defense shot down the Ukrainian Boeing machine on January 8, 2020 shortly after takeoff from Tehran. All 176 occupants were killed.
