Statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the fifth anniversary of the downing of flight PS 752

Five years ago, on the morning of 8 January 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was downed near Tehran by two Iranian surface-to-air missiles. This event claimed the lives of 176 people, 17 of whom were nationals and residents of Sweden.

Sweden’s joint efforts with Canada, Ukraine and the United Kingdom to secure transparency, justice and accountability for Iran’s unlawful downing of Flight PS752 continue. We want Iran to take full legal responsibility for the downing. 

In late 2024, our four countries submitted a memorial in the case against Iran before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in accordance with the 1971 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation. In our submissions, we assert that Iran failed to take measures to prevent the destruction of Flight PS752 by its armed forces and then failed to proceed with a full, transparent and impartial criminal investigation in accordance with international norms.

In a parallel case, we continue to pursue legal action against Iran in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN’s specialised agency for civil aviation. This case is based on Iran’s use of weapons against a civil aircraft in violation of its international obligations in accordance with the Convention on International Civil Aviation. 

We are pursuing these legal proceedings  because the victims’ families deserve justice. We are also doing so because we believe that the collective international community can safeguard the security within, and the protection of, civil aviation through measures such as resolving disputes that arise. Those who break the rules must be held accountable. Our hope is that our filing with the ICAO together with our ongoing pursuit of justice before the ICJ will lead to real change and prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.