The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has rejected Iran's objection to a lawsuit filed by four nations over the 2020 downing of Ukraine Flight PS752, bringing them a step closer to holding Tehran accountable, officials said Monday.
"Today, on 17 March 2025, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rejected Iran’s preliminary objection in the case of Flight PS752," a UK Government spokesperson said.
"This decision takes us a step closer to holding Iran to account for its illegal downing of Flight PS752 in January 2020."
The ICAO Council's decision allows Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom to proceed to the next phase of their case against Iran, which alleges the downing of the civilian airliner was unlawful.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed the ruling on X, saying, "Iran attempted to challenge the jurisdiction of the ICAO Council regarding the complaint over the downing of the civilian airliner. But the Council ruled in favor of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK and moving the case to the merits."
The Boeing 737-800 NG, operating flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv, was shot down by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after takeoff on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew. Iran initially denied responsibility but later admitted its air defense operator mistakenly identified the plane as a hostile target.
The ICAO ruling comes after years of legal battles and demands for accountability from the families of the victims. "We remain committed to seeking justice, transparency, and accountability for the 176 innocent victims and their families," the UK government spokesperson said.
The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims welcomed the decision, saying, "Now, with this condemnation, it is clear to all how little credibility this regime and its deceptive statements hold in the international community."
The four countries initiated a dispute review at ICAO in January 2024, alleging Iran violated the Chicago Convention, which guarantees the safety of civilian flights. They have also filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Iran's Foreign Ministry criticized the legal actions as hasty and unjustified, maintaining the downing of the plane was not intentional or deliberate. Ali Mousavi, the ministry’s director-general of legal affairs, urged the four countries to reconsider their stance.
Families of the victims have also pursued legal action within Iran, but have criticized the process for lacking transparency. Lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, representing several families, said they were denied access to key evidence.
The session, held during the UN Human Rights Council meeting, included discussions on minority rights, state repression, and accountability.
A panel hosted by the Baha’i International Community, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, and the Impact Iran coalition examined the systematic targeting of Baha’is. The event featured Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, alongside prominent rights advocates.
"The interviews with 56 Baha'is with direct experience of persecution offer powerful firsthand accounts that cannot be ignored," Sato said. "The report argues that the Baha'i people of Iran have long been subjected to a systematic process of othering by the state."
The 1979 constitution of the Islamic Republic recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has on several occasions called the Baha'i faith a cult and in a religious fatwa in 2018 forbade contact, including business dealings, with followers of the faith.
Baha'is, who number around 300,000 in Iran, say their rights are systematically violated and they are often harassed, forced to leave their homes and businesses, and are deprived of government jobs and university education.
"Bahai women face intersectional discrimination, persecuted both as women and as a member of a religious minority," Sato said. She cited reports of ten Baha’i women in Isfahan being sentenced to a combined 90 years in prison and stripped of assets.
Speaking at the event, Roya Boroumand, director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, addressed broader societal changes.
"The Iranians are secularizing, their distancing themselves from Islam, from religion altogether, or they are converting to Zoroastrianism or Baha’ism or Christianity," she said. "For the theocracy, losing its Muslims is a disaster."
The day concluded with a screening of a documentary presented by rights group Justice for Iran, highlighting the courage of protesters and whistleblowers who exposed atrocities during the November 2019 protests.
It heard testimonies from witnesses, victims, and experts on the Iranian government’s violent crackdown, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1500 protestors and mass arrests.
Azadeh Afsahi, a psychotherapist and human rights advocate, spoke about the dangers of dehumanization. "During the Rwanda genocide, Tutsis were called cockroaches. Under Nazi Germany, Jews were called rats. It happened before and it's happening now," she said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has used otherization to drive its agenda of violence."
As international attention remains on Iran’s human rights record, rights groups continue to document abuses and call for accountability. "Despite these challenges, the Baha'i community demonstrates remarkable resilience," Sato said.