Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Tehran: An Iranian military court has handed down prison sentences to 10 members of the armed forces involved in the downing of a Ukrainian airliner in 2020, the Mizan judicial portal announced on Sunday.
Mizan reported that a commander received the heaviest penalty of 10 years imprisonment for defying orders and shooting down the aircraft.
According to Mizan, the commander of a Tor M-1 surface-to-air missile system "fired two missiles" at the airliner "contrary to orders" and without authorisation.
"Given the extent of the effects and consequences of this action, the main defendant was sentenced to the maximum penalty," Mizan Online said without giving further details.
Nine other military personnel received prison terms of between one and three years behind bars, the justice portal said.
None of the convicted personnel were identified.
What's the background of the PS752 tragedy?
On 8 January 2020, Iranian forces shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 en route to Kyiv, not long after taking off from Tehran. All 176 people on board were killed. Most were Iranians and Canadians, including many dual nationals.
