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

On the morning of Tuesday, January 8, the fifth anniversary ceremony of the downing of the Ukrainian plane was held in Shahedshahr. Families of the victims traveled from all over Iran—from Sari, Babol, Qom, Zanjan, Mashhad, and Isfahan to Hamedan—to reach the crash site of Flight PS752.

The event began at 10 a.m. with Azam Salmanizadeh, the sister of the late Raheleh Lindberg, as the host. Raheleh was on the flight with her husband, Mikael, and their two sons, Erik and Emil. Throughout the program, Azam repeated the names of all the passengers.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Abolghasem Jamshidi, the father of the victim Shadi, dedicated a heartfelt letter to all the passengers of the flight. After reminiscing about his daughter’s childhood and youth, he spoke about the farewell and entrusting the passengers to God. In the end, the crowd chanted, “We neither forgive nor forget.”

Next, Manzar Zarrabi, the mother of four victims—Sahand and Alvand Sadeghi, Negar Borghei, and Sophie Emami—gave her speech:

“Today, in this bitter and painful moment, on the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Ukrainian passenger plane over our homeland, we have gathered here to honor the memory of the 177 innocent people who fell victim to cowardly acts of aggression. I stand here today not only as a mother who lost four of her loved ones but also as the voice of all grieving mothers who, over these years, have been forced into mourning by the cruelty and oppression of the rulers.

Five years have passed since that dark, cold morning—the day our lives were turned upside down, the day the missiles of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps mercilessly turned our blue sky into darkness. This was not an accident; it was a systematic crime committed by those who were supposed to protect lives, not threaten them…

We, the families of the victims, have endured endless suffering over these five years, but we remain steadfast. We seek the truth. We demand justice. We will ensure that the voices of our loved ones, who are no longer among us, are heard by the world. For us, this is a duty.”

A new section of the ceremony, titled “What Remains,” featured families displaying personal belongings, clothing, and shoes of their loved ones alongside their photographs. However, the Islamic Republic had withheld many suitcases, belongings, and even passengers’ jewelry from their families, which they consider yet another crime against the victims.

The next speaker was Masoud Ebrahim, the father of victim Niloufar, who began by honouring all the victims. In his message, he spoke about the DNA testing conducted in London on the remains of Niloufar Ebrahim and Saeed Tahmasebi, Niloufar’s husband. He revealed that due to the Islamic Republic’s negligence, two right hands had been sent as the remains of Niloufar Ebrahim. This revelation sparked deep anger and sorrow among the attendees.

Following this, Lili Navid, the mother of victim Faraz Falsafi, dedicated a poem to the passengers:

“And my tears will bid you farewell.
You, with blood and sweat, gave color and life to this withering forest.
With empty hands, you stood against those who sought destruction.
Leaving this land is like tearing your soul apart!
You are invisibly connected to every leaf of this garden.”

Next, Farzaneh Towhodi, the mother of victim Mohammad Moeini, recited a poem titled “Shame on You, Executioner!”

“With all my rage,
With all my insane hatred, I cry out:
Executioner, shame on you!
Oh, when one human kills another,
They kill the humanity within themselves.
Listen, executioner!
A different day will come—
A day of reckoning, a day of justice!”

The next segment featured Shayan Azadian, the sister of victim Roja, who recited a poem titled “O, Wheel of Time, How Unjust You Are!”

“From the blood of the youth of this land, tulips have bloomed.
From mourning the upright cypresses, the cypress has bent.
In the shade of flowers, the nightingale has hidden from sorrow.
Even the flowers, like me, have torn their garments in grief.”

Following this, a recording of victim Roja Azadian’s voice was played.

The next speaker, Khosrow Malek, the father of victim Maryam, expressed the families’ demand for a fair investigation under international law by a qualified and courageous team, followed by an independent trial with brave judges.

As in previous years, a petition for justice was brought to the ceremony, and attendees signed it.

Later, Maryam Ojan, whose son Parsa Hassannejad was on the flight, read a heartfelt message, describing the bitter dawn when “177 passengers, 177 lives, were extinguished in flames.” Then, a song titled “Dadashi” (Brother), sung by Parsa’s sister Sayeh, was played.

The next speaker, Jamshid Rahmanifar, the father of victim Nasim, addressed the government forces who had been filming the families since early morning. He spoke about the harassment and insults directed at the gravestones of their loved ones and said:
“Deliver this report to the president. We wanted to hold this fifth-anniversary ceremony not only in Shahedshahr but also in a hall. However, the moment the venues realized the nature of our event, they refused, fearing repercussions and the risk of being shut down. In the end, no permit was granted.”

The speech by Abbas Sadeghi, the father of four victims, focused on the lawsuit regarding the downing of the Ukrainian plane. He highlighted crucial details from the complaint filed by Sweden, Canada, the UK, and Ukraine, which states that the shooting was intentional. He also referenced the Ontario court ruling against Ukraine International Airlines, which further supported the argument of deliberate targeting by the IRGC. In the speech, key points were highlighted from the lawsuit filed by Sweden, Canada, the UK, and Ukraine, which accused Iran of violating its obligations under the Montreal Convention; Iran failed to take necessary measures to prevent the downing of Flight PS752 and deliberately shot down the plane. Instead of conducting a transparent and fair investigation, Iran destroyed evidence, bulldozed the crash site, and staged a non-transparent trial, shifting blame onto low-ranking military personnel. It was noted that Iran only admitted to the attack after erasing key evidence and removing passenger belongings and aircraft debris from the site.

The speech also referenced the Ontario Supreme Court ruling, which reinforced these claims. The ruling stated that Iran’s investigative reports were unreliable and potentially deliberate lies. The speaker pointed out that the ruling dismissed Iran’s explanation as nonsensical, particularly its claim of human error, which was deemed unacceptable.

This powerful speech held the attention of all attendees while government forces continued filming throughout. As the ceremony drew to a close, families raised photos of their loved ones and marched around the gathering site, chanting “Neither forgiveness nor forgetting.” The event concluded beneath a maple tree, decorated with ornaments inscribed with the names of each passenger.