RICHMOND HILL, Ont. - Mourners and officials paid tribute Monday to those who died after the Iranian military shot down Flight PS752 four years ago, as they called for the Iranian regime to be held accountable for what happened.
Everyone aboard was killed when Iranian officials shot down the Ukraine International Airlines jetliner in January 2020 shortly after its takeoff from Tehran.
Most of the passengers were bound for Canada via Ukraine, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
The names of the victims were read out during a ceremony in Richmond Hill, Ont., marking the anniversary, with a moment of silence held for those lost in the crash.
A short documentary was screened during the event showing the belongings of the victims as members of their families remembered them. Another film was also shown of the families in Iran having their own ceremony on Monday morning at the crash site outside of Tehran under the surveillance of the Iranian regime's agents.
Maral Gorginpour's husband, Fareed Arasteh, was on the plane. It was three days after their wedding, she said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"To be honest, I'm still in denial. I can't believe that he's not here," she said.
She remembered his wide smile and positive outlook.
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"Nothing was impossible for him. If he wanted something, no matter what would happen, he would get it," Gorginpour said, adding she thinks of him whenever she feels like giving up.
Gorginpour said she and other families of victims are continuously seeking answers, trying to piece together the "puzzle" of what happened.
"Their lives were brutally taken and we still, after four years, we still don't know what happened that night," she said. The Canadian government has done a lot for the families of victims, she said, but the process has been slow.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several other federal, provincial and local officials attended the ceremony in Richmond Hill.
Trudeau told the families of the victims that Canada is looking at ways to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Trudeau said his government has banned many members of the Iranian regime from entering Canada.
"We know there is more to do to hold the regime to account and we will continue our work, including continuing to look for ways to responsibly list the IRGC as a terrorist organization," Trudeau said.
"Canadians will never forget the tragedy of when the plane went down."
The prime minister said Canada has worked with partners for years to have the Iranian regime take responsibility for its actions.
In July, Canada and three other countries referred the case to the International Court of Justice.
Trudeau also announced Tuesday that Canada and its three international partners have initiated dispute-settlement proceedings against Iran before the International Civil Aviation Organization council under the Chicago Convention, the international agreement laying out the core rules and standards for safe global air travel.
Hamed Esmaeilion, a board member of the association of Flight PS752 victims' families, said the Iranian regime has claimed that the ICAO has accepted its report that concluded the plane downing was due to a human error.
"Now, we would see that this is not true," he said in an interview. "The ICAO council, I think, is on the mandate to review everything and push Iran to tell the truth about what happened on January 8, 2020."
He said his association continues to call on Canada to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
Esmaeilion said the families are still struggling with their loss.
"It's very difficult for families," he said. "Yesterday, we went to the graveyards of the victims, and it was a very, very difficult situation, especially for mothers of the victims."
The Richmond Hill ceremony was one of several events taking place globally to mark the anniversary, and followed a candlelight vigil in Toronto on Sunday.
– With files from Paola Loriggio in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2024.
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