Iran: Jail phrases for these behind downing of Ukraine flight

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian courtroom has sentenced an air protection commander allegedly accountable for the lethal downing of a passenger aircraft amid Iran-U.S. tensions a number of years in the past, a state information company reported Sunday.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard mistakenly shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight in January 2020. The missile strike killed all 176 folks on board and got here as Tehran and Washington teetered getting ready to struggle.

The Guards commander who officers purport ordered the strike was sentenced to 13 years in jail, the official judiciary information outlet stated.

Mizan stated the commander didn’t comply with protocols within the moments main as much as the taking pictures down of the aircraft. The commander was ordered to pay fines to households of victims, the report added.

Mizan stated the courtroom additionally sentenced two personnel allegedly concerned in operating the surface-to-air missile system Tor M-1 to at least one 12 months in jail every.

After a prolonged collection of hearings, the courtroom sentenced no less than seven different personnel and air protection officers to as much as three years in jail. According to Mizan, the verdicts are appealable inside 20 days.

The report didn’t determine any of the defendants by title or additional particulars.

The judiciary information company additionally stated Iran’s authorities plans to pay $150,000 for every sufferer to their households. It didn’t elaborate on how this cash can be delivered to the households.

The listening to periods have confronted worldwide criticism since beginning in 2021. At that point, an affiliation of the victims’ households additionally criticized the listening to and forged doubts on the courtroom’s legitimacy. The group additionally alleged that not one of the defendants have been current at hearings.