iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
State news agency says Taliban forces started shooting at an Iranian police station amid a water dispute between the two countries
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Iran: Jail terms for those behind downing of Ukraine flight
Paramilitary Revolutionary Guard mistakenly shot down plane in January 2020 missile strike that killed all 176 people on board
People hold signs with images of the victims of the downed Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. — AFP
An Iranian court has sentenced an air defence commander allegedly responsible for the deadly downing of a passenger plane amid Iran-US tensions several years ago, a state news agency reported Sunday.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard mistakenly shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight in January 2020. The missile strike killed all 176 people on board and came as Tehran and Washington teetered on the brink of war.
The Guards commander who officials purport ordered the strike was sentenced to 13 years in prison, the official judiciary news outlet said.
Mizan said the commander did not follow protocols in the moments leading up to the shooting down of the plane. The commander was ordered to pay fines to families of victims, the report added.
Mizan said the court also sentenced two personnel allegedly involved in running the surface-to-air missile system Tor M-1 to one year in prison each.
After a lengthy series of hearings, the court sentenced at least seven other personnel and air defence officers to up to three years in prison. According to Mizan, the verdicts are appealable within 20 days.
The report did not identify any of the defendants by name or further details.
The judiciary news agency also said Iran's government plans to pay $150,000 for each victim to their families. It did not elaborate on how this money will be delivered to the families.
The hearing sessions have faced international criticism since starting in 2021. At that time, an association of the victims’ families also criticized the hearing and cast doubts on the court's legitimacy. The group also alleged that none of the defendants were present at hearings.
Just hours before the shootdown in January 2020, Iran had fired ballistic missiles at American bases in Iraq in retaliation for the US drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.
More news from World
The five election guarantees will be discussed, approved and implemented soon, says Siddaramaiah
Pressure mounts on the former PM after 33 of his supporters handed over to the army to face trial in military courts
Sources say the two sides reached agreement on key issues, such as spending caps and funding for the Internal Revenue Service and the military
The 70-year-old man escapes unhurt after the incident in Kerala
Man who drove into gates of British PM Rishi Sunak's residence, office held on suspicion of dangerous driving
India tops the list with 11 million followed by China with 5.8 million, Russia with 1.9 million, Indonesia with 1.8 million, Turkey with 1.3 million and the United States with 1.1 million
It was the first time a Republican had won the Democratic-leaning county in 20 years, and DeSantis did it by winning 62% of the Hispanic vote