The 5K Run and Walk for Justice Took Place
Today, on October 12, 2024, the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims held its second 5K Run and Walk. This event, titled the 5K Run and Walk for Justice, was organized in memory of the victims of Flight PS752 and took place in person in Toronto and Vancouver, as well as virtually in various cities around the world.
A total of 200 participants took part in person in Toronto and Vancouver, while 50 others participated from cities around the globe. At the end of the race, the families of the Flight PS752 victims presented medals with the event’s logo to the runners. The main goals of the event were to raise public awareness about the criminal downing of Flight PS752 by the Islamic Republic, to fight against forgetting, to honor the victims, and to pursue justice.
Maryam Zare’i, the mother of Masoumeh and Mahdieh Ghavi, victims of Flight PS752, gave a speech in Vancouver. She highlighted that this event has become a symbol of struggle, resistance, and perseverance for the people of this land (Iran). She continued by saying, “We are running for freedom and justice, for a future that was robbed of the victims of the plane and the other victims of the Islamic Republic.”
Hamed Esmaeilion, who lost his daughter, Reera, and his wife, Parisa, in the PS752 downing, also gave a speech in Toronto before the race. He honored the memory of all victims of the Islamic Republic, from its inception to this day, and referenced the long process underway at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to hold the Islamic Republic accountable. He expressed hope that one day, the perpetrators face justice in a court in Tehran.
Last year, the association also held a 5K Run and Walk under the title “Women, Life, Freedom” in support of the revolutionary movement of the Iranian people, which began after the government-sanctioned killing of Mahsa Jina Amini.
Flight PS752 was shot down on January 8, 2020, just minutes after taking off from Tehran airport, when missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps led to killing all 176 passengers and crew members, including an unborn child.
