Tribunal Canada demanda por PS752
AW | 2021 02 18 12:44 | AIR INVESTIGATION / AVIATION SAFETY
Tribunal de Justicia Canadá presenta demanda por vuelo PS752
El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Ontario, Canadá, espera certificar una demanda colectiva contra la República Islámica de Irán, un ala de sus fuerzas armadas tras el atentado de la aeronave Boeing 737-800 de Ucrania International Airlines del vuelo PS752 derribado por un misil que ha involucrado una acción militar. La acción judicial lanzada por familias de algunos de los fallecidos en el derribo del vuelo PS752 tras despegar del Aeropuerto de Teherán el 8 de Enero de 2020. El Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria de Irán disparó dos misiles tierra-aire contra el vuelo PS752, matando a las 176 personas a bordo.
El Abogado Tom Arndt, con sede en Toronto, dijo que el Tribunal escuchó la moción de certificación el Martes 16/02 e indicó que apoyaría la demanda propuesta. Habib Haghjoo, que perdió a su hija Saharnaz Haghjoo y a su nieta Elsa Jadidi, de ocho años, cuando el vuelo PS752 fue derribado, dijo que está emocionado de que la demanda está avanzando. Dijo que el objetivo de la demanda es buscar justicia, no una compensación: «Ahora la lucha puede comenzar. Creo que esto podría ser al menos un pomada en nuestras heridas, un poco de consuelo si conseguimos una sentencia contra el régimen iraní y las aerolíneas. Se llevaron a nuestros seres queridos. Queremos que sean responsables y responsables. Es importante», expresó Habib Haghjoo.
La demanda colectiva alega que la República Islámica del Irán y el Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámic, un ala de élite del ejército del país designada como organización terrorista por muchos países, mantuvieron el espacio aéreo abierto y los aviones que volaban durante un período de intensa actividad militar con el fin de cobrar las tasas por sobrevuelo. Las demandas individuales también se lanzaron como parte de las acciones emprendidas por separado de otros familiares. Un grupo de abogados que dicen representar a las familias de más de 90 víctimas en Canadá dijo al Tribunal que se oponían a algunos aspectos de la demanda colectiva, incluso con la solicitud de que el demandante principal permanezca en el anonimato, lo que los abogados del demandante dicen que es necesario proteger a la familia en Irán de la retribución por parte del régimen iraní. Paul Miller, socio del bufete de Abogados Howie Sacks & Henry en Toronto, dice que las familias de aproximadamente dos tercios de los 138 pasajeros que murieron con vínculos con Canadá han retenido a sus propios abogados para presentar demandas individuales. Paul Miller, que es co-consejero del grupo, dice que es raro que una acción colectiva sea pequeña por reclamos individuales. Los abogados del grupo Miller están demandando a Ukraine International Airline, pero no a Irán, dijo. Las familias de las víctimas del vuelo PS752 han informado a las autoridades canadienses de que han sido amenazadas e intimidadas, y culpan a Teherán. Paul Miller dijo que el gobierno de Canadá tiene más posibilidades que los individuos de recibir una compensación de Irán. Canadá formó un grupo internacional de respuesta de coordinación con otros cuatro países que perdieron ciudadanos en el vuelo PS752 para impulsar una investigación transparente y buscar reparaciones para las familias. Se espera que Ucrania hable con Irán en nombre de todos los países y aborde la compensación.
Sobrecargos por sobrevuelo
Al igual que muchos países, Irán cobra a las aerolíneas una tarifa de sobrevuelo por usar su espacio aéreo. En los últimos años, el país ha utilizado su ubicación geográfica al lado de Irak y cerca de Siria para proporcionar un paso seguro para las aerolíneas extranjeras que conectan entre Europa y Asia, o entre Asia y otras zonas del mundo. Pero los precios que cobra por el uso de su espacio aéreo son más del doble de lo que Canadá cobra. Irán puede haber mantenido el espacio aéreo abierto debido a las lucrativas tarifas de sobrevuelo. La autoridad aeroportuaria de Irán informó a los medios iraníes que ganó más de US$ 140 millones de Dólares en ingresos por sobrevuelo entre Marzo de 2018 y Marzo de 2019.
Durante tres días después de que el vuelo PS752 se estrelló fuera de Teherán, Irán negó derribarlo. En respuesta a la creciente presión y pruebas internacionales, Irán admitió más tarde que el IRGC derribó por error el jet apenas unas horas después de que las fuerzas de Irán dispararan misiles contra bases iraquíes donde las tropas estadounidenses estaban estacionadas. «Los US$ 150.000 que ofrecen es un enorme insulto a las familias. Matan a nuestros seres queridos y ahora quieren comprarnos o esperan que lo superemos con este dinero», expresó Habib Haghjoo.
Court Canada lawsuit over PS752
Court of Justice Canada files lawsuit for flight PS752
The High Court of Justice of Ontario, Canada, hopes to certify a class action lawsuit against the Islamic Republic of Iran, a wing of its armed forces following the attack on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft of Ukraine International Airlines from flight PS752 downed by a missile that it has involved military action. The legal action launched by the families of some of those killed in the downing of flight PS752 after taking off from Tehran Airport on January 8, 2020. The Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran fired two surface-to-air missiles at flight PS752, killing to the 176 people on board.
Toronto-based Attorney Tom Arndt said the Court heard the motion for certification on Tuesday 02/16 and indicated that it would support the proposed lawsuit. Habib Haghjoo, who lost his daughter Saharnaz Haghjoo and her granddaughter Elsa Jadidi, eight, when Flight PS752 was shot down, said he is excited that the lawsuit is moving forward. He said the aim of the lawsuit is to seek justice, not compensation: «Now the fight can begin. I think this could be at least an ointment on our wounds, a bit of consolation if we do feel a sentence against the Iranian regime and the airlines. They took our loved ones. We want them to be responsible and responsible. It is important», said Habib Haghjoo.
The class action lawsuit alleges that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite wing of the country’s military designated as a terrorist organization by many countries, kept open airspace and planes flying during a period of intense military activity in order to collect overflight fees. Individual lawsuits were also launched as part of actions taken separately from other family members. A group of attorneys claiming to represent the families of more than 90 victims in Canada told the Court that they opposed some aspects of the class action lawsuit, including with the request that the lead plaintiff remain anonymous, which the attorneys for the Plaintiff say it is necessary to protect the family in Iran from retribution by the Iranian regime. Paul Miller, a partner at the Toronto law firm Howie Sacks & Henry, says the families of about two-thirds of the 138 passengers who died with ties to Canada have retained their own attorneys to file individual lawsuits. Paul Miller, who is a co-counsel to the group, says it is rare for a class action to be small for individual claims. Lawyers for the Miller group are suing Ukraine International Airline, but not Iran, he said. The families of the victims of flight PS752 have informed Canadian authorities that they have been threatened and intimidated, and blame Tehran. Paul Miller said the Canadian government is more likely than individuals to receive compensation from Iran. Canada formed an international coordination response group with four other countries that lost citizens on flight PS752 to push forward a transparent investigation and seek reparations for families. Ukraine is expected to speak to Iran on behalf of all countries and address compensation.
Overflight surcharges
Like many countries, Iran charges airlines an overflight fee for using its airspace. In recent years, the country has used its geographic location next to Iraq and close to Syria to provide a safe passage for foreign airlines connecting between Europe and Asia, or between Asia and other areas of the world. But the prices it charges for the use of its airspace are more than double what Canada charges. Iran may have kept the airspace open due to lucrative overflight fees. Iran’s airport authority informed Iranian media that it earned more than US$ 140 million in overflight revenue between March 2018 and March 2019.
For three days after flight PS752 crashed outside of Tehran, Iran denied shooting it down. In response to mounting international pressure and testing, Iran later admitted that the IRGC mistakenly shot down the jet just hours after Iranian forces fired missiles at Iraqi bases where US troops were stationed. That surface-to-air missile attack was in retaliation for the assassination by the United States of Iran’s top military leader, General Qasem Soleimani.
The proposed class action lawsuit alleges that the airline was negligent by failing to ground its planes the morning PS752 was destroyed. Several airlines redirected their flights, but flight PS752 departed «despite known risks», the law firm Howie Sacks & Henry said in a press release when it launched the lawsuit.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States had issued an official advisory at the time ordering American commercial aircraft to avoid Iran and airspace from the Gulf of Oman to the Mediterranean. The airlines of Canada, Australia and Singapore also acted to avoid the airspace in conflict, according to a Canadian report on flight PS752 published in December 2020. Ukraine International Airlines is one of the companies that continued to operate in the airspace that Iran kept open. .
Iran blames human error
The Islamic Republic of Iran has maintained that a number of human errors and other issues led to the accidental firing of missiles that mistakenly identified the commercial aircraft as a hostile target. But Canada’s e-Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has said he does not believe human error was to blame. Canada has put forward a long list of questions for Iran to answer, including the question of why airspace was kept open when missiles were fired. Francois-Philippe Champagne says that he does not believe in Iran when he says that flight PS752 was shot down as a result of human error, but was deliberately shot down. Ralph Goodale, special adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, has said that on flight PS752 «given the extraordinary nature of the description of the events in Iran, it is understandable that the families of the victims find it difficult to accept explanations from Iran. To remove doubt and ease anxiety, Iran has a heavy burden of responsibility to be completely complete and transparent in basing its explanations with credible and convincing evidence, which has not yet been forthcoming», Goodale wrote in a December 2020 report.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) announced on Tuesday 02/16 that it has been notified of a draft Final Report of Flight PS752 by Iran regarding its safety investigation. The Government of Ukraine, which has had access to the report since the participation of its aircraft, appointed a representative of the TSB as technical adviser so that Canada could provide comments on the findings. The TSB said it cannot comment further on the content of the PS752 report until Iran publishes it publicly. Countries have until the end of the month to provide feedback.
The president of Iran announced in December 2020 that the country’s Cabinet has established US $ 150,000 in compensation for each of the families of the victims. Canada has said that it rejects this offer and will only accept compensation through appropriate negotiations with a group of countries affected by flight PS752. «The $ 150,000 they offer is a huge insult to families. They kill our loved ones and now they want to buy us or they hope we will get over it with this money», said Habib Haghjoo.
PUBLISHER: Airgways.com
DBk: Tsb.gc.ca / Ontariocourts.ca / Airgways.com
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