Canada, along with Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom triggered the process for accountability for the downing of flight PS752, after nearly 3 years of advocacy by the families of the victims and by the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims.

On January 8, 2020, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down flight PS752 shortly after its takeoff in Tehran with two surface-to-air missiles and killed all on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. The downing of the plane left the families of the victims heartbroken and in search of justice.

Human Rights Action Group co-founders David Matas and Sarah Teich are among the five legal advisors to the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims. After almost 3 years, Canada, through the International Coordination and Response Group (the Coordination Group), on July 4, 2023, jointly filed an application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) instituting proceedings against Iran concerning their breaches of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971.

The details of Canada’s ICJ application against Iran can be found here.