Flight PS752: Families of victims met with harassment from Iran

Three years aft the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 successful Tehran, families and friends of those who died are inactive pushing for accountability. But they person been greeted with aggregate hurdles on the way, including threats to their safety.

Reza Akbari is 1 of galore Iranian-Canadians who mislaid a loved 1 connected 8 January 2020, erstwhile Flight 752, destined for Kyiv, Ukraine, was changeable down by 2 anti-aircraft missiles aft it took disconnected successful Tehran.

As the erstwhile president of the Iranian Heritage Society successful the metropolis of Edmonton, wherever 13 of the victims lived, Mr Akbari has pushed for Iran to beryllium held accountable for the deaths.

But up of 1 planned objection successful October, Mr Akbari felt fearful for his safety.

He had been receiving frightening and suspicious telephone calls from strangers. In 1 instance, helium believed helium was being followed by 2 men erstwhile helium was retired walking successful a deserted portion of town.

While the men lone asked him for directions, helium took it arsenic a motion that helium was being watched by radical adjacent to the Iranian government.

"Was it a coincidence? I don't deliberation so," helium added. "I thought that was a motion that they could travel whenever. That they person eyes connected maine and person radical each over."

Mr Akbari has reported this incidental and others to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and helium is not the lone one.

Several Iranian dissidents person spoken retired successful caller months astir being harassed and intimidated connected Canadian soil, saying they person been monitored and followed astatine protests oregon person had their societal media oregon email addresses hacked.

Others, similar Kaveh Shahrooz, a Toronto-based quality close lawyer who sits connected a ineligible advisory committee for families of Flight 752 victims, accidental their loved ones successful Iran person been visited by agents successful the state arsenic a effect of them speaking retired abroad.

Canada's spy bureau - the Canadian Security Intelligence Service - confirmed to the BBC successful a connection that they are alert that Canadians, particularly those successful diaspora communities, are being monitored and intimidated by "hostile authorities actors, including the Islamic Republic of Iran".

"The tactics and tools utilized for specified purposes see cyber espionage and threats designed to soundlessness those who talk retired publically against them," CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam said, adding that the bureau is investigating these incidents.

Iran has been accused of harassing dissidents successful different countries abroad, including the US and the UK. Last November, Met Police guarded the offices of Iran International, an autarkic Farsi-language quality transmission successful the the UK, aft British quality intercepted discussions of readying existent attacks against dissident journalists. The authorities has besides harassed BBC Persia journalists successful the UK, prompting BBC lawyers to record a ailment to the UN.

In 2021, the FBI said it was looking for a antheral alleged to person hired backstage investigators to spy connected radical speaking retired against the Iranian authorities successful each 3 countries.

Iran has nary ceremonial relations with Canada, and has not commented publically connected the CSIS probe. The BBC has reached retired to Iran's overseas ministry for comment.

Hamed Esmaeilion, who mislaid his wife, Parisa Eghbalian, and their nine-year-old girl Reera connected Flight 752, said helium has been the taxable of harassment and attacks connected societal media since helium began advocating for his household and different victims 3 years ago.

He said helium believes the intimidation tactics from the Iranian authorities are portion of "a propaganda instrumentality against anyone who is lasting successful beforehand of them."

Despite these threats, Mr Esmaeilion and others person continued to propulsion for a coordinated planetary effort to person Iran reply for what happened.

They person besides lent their enactment to Iranians who person taken to the streets by the thousands, calling for state and justice, pursuing the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini past September aft she was detained by Iran's morality police.

"People are recognising much and much that each these crimes are connected," Mr Shahrooz said. "It didn't commencement with Mahsa Amini, oregon adjacent the plane. These crimes spell backmost 43 years with the commencement of the Islamic Republic."

Of those who perished connected the flight, 138 had ties to Canada, including 55 citizens and 30 imperishable residents. The dormant included 29 children, 53 assemblage students, 4 newlywed couples, and 8 full families.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation has blamed the downing of the plane, which occurred amid heightened tensions successful the portion pursuing the US sidesplitting of apical Iranian General Qasem Soleimani successful Baghdad, connected "human error".

But successful a 2021 report, Canada said Iran's authorities was "fully responsible" for the incident, though determination was nary grounds to suggest it was premeditated.

In the 3 years since the tragedy, the victims' families person explored aggregate avenues to get answers from Iran, including taking the antithetic measurement past twelvemonth of filing a lawsuit successful the International Criminal Court, which does not typically perceive from civilians.

In its filing, the families argued that the downing of the level was a warfare transgression and portion of systematic attacks connected civilians amounting to a transgression against humanity, Mr Shahrooz said. Their case, however, has yet to beryllium heard.

A abstracted effort to person the International Civil Aviation Organisation probe the incidental reached a important milestone successful precocious December, aft the governments of the UK, Canada, Ukraine and Sweden announced they had jointly requested that Iran taxable to binding arbitration, arguing the missiles that downed the formation were launched "unlawfully and intentionally".

The Iranian authorities present has six months to respond, a spokesperson for Canada's overseas affairs ministry told the BBC. If it fails to bash so, Canada and the conjugation countries volition determination to litigate the contented earlier the International Court of Justice.

The determination is simply a large measurement guardant for the victims' families, who accidental the combat for accountability has consumed their regular lives successful the past 3 years.

"I utilized to similar to travel, I utilized to spell golfing, but I don't bask it anymore," said Kourosh Doustshenas, a Winnipeg antheral who mislaid his fiancé, Forough Khadem, connected Flight 752. "What I bash present is I privation to marque sure: could I constitute different missive to somebody? Did I hide something?"

"On a idiosyncratic level, I request closure, and the lone mode I tin person closure successful my beingness is if I cognize the truth."