Iran taken to International Court of Justice over downing of Ukrainian Flight PS752

European nations and Canada urge action against Tehran following the 2020 tragedy that killed 176 people

A march in central London in January on the third anniversary of the downing of Ukrainian passenger jet Flight PS752. AFP

Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain have asked the International Court of Justice to open proceedings against Iran over the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane.

All 176 passengers on board were killed when Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down shortly after take off from Tehran Airport in January 2020.

Three days later, Iran admitted that its military had targeted the Kyiv-bound Boeing 737-800 plane by mistake during a period of heightened tensions with the US.

Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain, which each had a number of citizens on board, said last month they would go to the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, to seek reparations on behalf of victims' families.

The case at the UN's top court says Iran “violated a series of obligations” under a convention on civil aviation by shooting down the plane.

Their filing at the tribunal says Iran breached a 1971 multilateral treaty on threats to civil aviation and that attempts to seek binding arbitration had failed.

They asked the court to “order full reparation for all injury caused” and to make Iran pay “full compensation to the applicants for the material and moral damages suffered by the victims and their families”.

Iran should also return the belongings of the victims and publicly acknowledge its “internationally wrongful acts”, the filing said.

The International Co-ordination and Response Group, which represents victims from Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain, said that the action was an “important step in our collective effort to ensure Iran is held accountable” for the jet's downing.

In June, Iran took Canada to the ICJ accusing Ottawa of allowing victims of alleged terror attacks to claim damages from Tehran.

Tehran's case claims that Canada, which listed the Islamic republic as a sponsor of terrorism in 2012, had violated Iran's state immunity.