Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs announced the start of the second round of a commemorative scholarship in honor of those who lost their lives in the unlawful downing of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.
The Flight PS752 Commemorative Scholarship Program was launched last year and will run for five years with 176 one-year scholarships being awarded, averaging $25,000 per recipient.
The Government of Canada's website stated on Wednesday, “Among these victims were brilliant minds and dedicated students who made significant contributions to Canadian educational institutions.”
Students must have a field of study that aligns with a victims’ academic or professional backgrounds or focuses on the prevention of air disasters, as the program aims to commemorate the tragedy.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) shot down the plane shortly after it took off near the Imam Khomeini International Airport near Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people on board, including 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, ten Swedes, four Afghans, and three Britons.
In July, Britain, Canada, Sweden, and Ukraine filed complaints against Iran at the International Court of Justice, alleging that the Islamic Republic purposefully shot down the plane. In January, they also filed a complaint with the UN Aviation Council to hold Iran accountable for the downing.
In April last year, a Tehran military court sentenced the operator of the system who fired missiles at the plane to 13 years in prison. No high-ranking military or government officials of the Islamic Republic were named among the military personnel accused.
