Report on the Fifth Anniversary of Downing of Flight PS752: Vancouver

On January 7, 2025, marking the fifth anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752 by two IRGC missiles, which claimed the lives of 176+1 passengers and crew, a group of Iranians gathered in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. They honored the victims by lighting candles. During the ceremony, excerpts from a conceptual concert by Parastoo Ahmadi—held in Iran despite the ban on women’s singing and as part of the Women, Life, Freedom movement—were displayed alongside images of the flight’s victims. Maryam Zarei, who lost her two daughters, Masoumeh and Mahdieh Ghavi, in this crime, read a heartfelt piece in Persian, while Laleh Bagheri, who lost her daughter Alma Oladi, read a piece in English. The ceremony concluded with refreshments from Café Bahar, an establishment founded in memory of Bahareh Karami-Moghadam, one of the victims of the flight.

On Wednesday, January 8, another event took place at UBC Robson Square in downtown Vancouver. The program was hosted by Maryam Malekpour, a Vancouver-based political and social activist. During the event, Maryam Zarei and Houriran Sohrab, the mother of Negar Borghei, a passenger of Flight PS752, read personal reflections, and videos commemorating the fifth anniversary of the tragedy were screened. Outside the venue, books published by the Association and Pareera Publications—collections of memories from the families of the victims—were available for attendees.

By: Houriran Sohrab