The question remains open, whether higher military officials will be punished.
Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor General Gunduz Mamedov says has said those responsible for the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752 crash shot down on January 8 near Tehran may face up to three years in jail.
“We learned that the probe is underway under articles 291 and 616 of the Iranian Criminal Code, which provides for the specifics of punishment for manslaughter or negligent homicide. For you to understand, the sanction cap is three years in jail plus compensation to the victims’ families,” he told the Ukrainian media outlet Censor.net in an interview.
At the same time, Mamedov stressed, the question remains open, whether officials whose status allows them organizing military service and supervise their subordinates will be prosecuted for complicity in the crime.
“So far, this is a rhetorical question. I haven’t heard anyone from the leadership of the military defense sector being held accountable following the plane crash,” he added.
PS752 downing in Iran: Background
On January 8, 2020, Kyiv-bound Boeing 737 passenger jet flight PS752, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, crashed in Iran shortly after takeoff from Tehran Airport.
All 176 people on board, including 11 Ukrainian nationals – nine crew and two passengers – were killed. Among victims are also citizens of Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani admitted that the Ukrainian liner had been shot down as a result of an unintentional “human error,” and promised to bring those responsible to justice.
On June 9, media reports said Iran had accused six persons in the PS752 downing case.
On July 20, flight recorders were delivered to Paris and decrypted on July 21.
On July 24, it was reported that data from the black boxes had confirmed external interference with the aircraft’s operation.
On July 29-30, Kyiv hosted the first round of negotiations with Iran regarding compensation to relatives of the PS752 victims.
On July 31, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba briefed on three major achievements of the negotiations with the Iranian delegation on compensations. In particular, Iran joined in the negotiation process to establish all the circumstances of the disaster, to bring all those responsible to justice and handle all necessary payments. Iran also agreed to fulfill all its obligations under international conventions in the field of aviation. At the same time, there is no answer yet to the question of the size of the compensation.
The second round of negotiation with Iran took place in Tehran on October 19-20.
