PS752 downing: Iran concealing names of those accused, ignoring Ukraine's inquiries
That’s according to the Office of the Prosecutor General, Ukrinform reports.
"The names and positions of the accused and the actions of each of them are being thoroughly concealed. However, I’d like to assure you that we are moving forward in our criminal proceedings. And we are not alone in this fight for justice. Canada, Britain, and Sweden are our reliable partners in both the intergovernmental process and the criminal bloc of issues," said Deputy Prosecutor General Maksym Yakubovsky, who met with relatives of the victims on the eve of the second anniversary of the PS752 crash to brief them on the progress in a pre-trial investigation.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and UIA management.
According to the OPG, 26 international inquiries have been sent to foreign countries throughout these two years concerning the downing of the passenger jet.
In turn, Iran continues to effectively ignore Ukraine's appeals for international legal assistance. According to Yakubovsky, the Iranian side recently once again violated the agreements reached during the third round of interstate talks, which took place in June this year.
In particular, that’s about Iran’s promise to provide Ukrainian prosecutors with an opportunity to review the Iranian criminal case file, which has already been forwarded to court.
It is noted that eight reports prepared by foreign officials and organizations were investigated as part of the criminal proceedings: four – Iranian, three – Canadian, one – of the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations.
OPG prosecutors and investigators with the Security Service of Ukraine monitor open-source information on a weekly basis, gather evidence, and ensure that all available information on the circumstances of the incident is secured.
According to the head of the Office of the Prosecutor General, Yuriy Rud, more than 50 persons were questioned as witnesses, more than 100 photo and video reviews were run, an investigative experiment was conducted with the involvement of experts, while a comprehensive forensic examination is underway.
"The Office of the Prosecutor General is taking all possible measures to establish the objective truth and bring the perpetrators of the tragedy to justice," the OPG said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, on January 8, 2020, the Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport. There were 176 people on board – nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). All of them died in the accident.
On January 11, 2020, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner.
On November 22, 2021, hearings over the downing of the plane began in an Iranian military court.
Photo: Office of the Prosecutor General, AA
