On January 8, 2020, the Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers was shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards with at least two missiles, causing the death of all 176 people (including a 7-month-old fetus). The Islamic Republic and its supporters, both inside and outside the country, denied shooting down the passenger plane for three days and attributed the crash to technical issues. However, after three days and under pressure from human rights activists and possibly due to the presence of non-Iranian individuals and involvement of other countries, the Islamic Republic could no longer deny the truth. Even the release of a video on social media, recorded by an anonymous citizen, showing the moment of the plane being shot down and crashing, did not affect the incomplete confession of the Islamic Republic to shooting down the passenger plane. After that, various cities and provinces in Iran witnessed street protests by the people. The families of the victims of the Ukrainian plane also formed an organization called “Association of Families of Flight

More than a year has passed since the shooting down of the Ukrainian plane and during this time, many events have taken place. How do you evaluate the performance and responsiveness of the Islamic Republic towards the survivors of this crime?

The Islamic Republic not only failed to be accountable to the families and survivors of this crime, but also subjected them to harassment and persecution. Although the Islamic Republic should not be solely accountable to the survivors and families, as they have committed an international crime against humanity and should be accountable to the whole world, unfortunately this is not the case. Throughout this time, the Islamic Republic has not only not been by our side, but has also stood against us and subjected us to psychological torture and harassment with contradictory and false news.

The downing of the Ukrainian plane is not the first and last crime of the Islamic Republic. However, the difference with other crimes is that this crime is unprecedented in history. It has never happened before that the military force of a country shoots down a passenger plane of the same country and kills a large number of innocent and defenseless people in the sky of their own homeland. The Islamic Republic has carried out this crime with planning and must be held accountable. One of the notable points

In April of this year, Mohammad Javad Jamali Nobandegani, one of the representatives of the parliament, said: “The issues related to the downing of this airplane cannot be recounted and the families of the victims are feeling emotional.” What is your opinion?

I want to ask Mr. Jamali how much you have thought about our feelings in order to answer this question? Since the day you committed this crime, you have hurt our feelings so much with false news that it cannot get any worse. They say there is nothing darker than black. It is true that our lives have turned black and we are sitting on black soil. But we can say with certainty that there is something darker than black. It is the crime that you have committed. It cannot get any worse than this. Do not think about our feelings as you have never done before. Solve all the issues related to this crime by being transparent and not only be accountable to the families, but also to all the countries involved in this issue and the international community.

What has become of the complaint raised by families and the Association of Families of the victims of flight PS752 and what obstacles have you faced so far? And what is your opinion on the proposal put forward by the Islamic Republic, namely compensation?

I am amazed that after forty-two years, there are still people who believe the lies of these shepherds. Which one of their words is true, that this one may be true? The issue of compensation, amounting to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, was raised on the anniversary of the tragedy of shooting down the plane. The reason for this could be either to incite people against the survivors, or perhaps to tempt families who were fortunate enough to have their arrows hit the rock and not have any consequences. Because from the beginning, we announced that we are not seeking compensation and we will not. Revealing the truth is our priority. If compensation is to be paid, it should be after determining what happened, why, and who caused it. These are the same people who in the first months were talking about the price of camels to pay compensation. How did they reach one hundred and fifty thousand dollars from camels?

I want to address the murderers of 176 innocent people

Have the efforts and pursuits of the countries involved in this issue been convincing enough to hold the Islamic Republic accountable for transparency?

Countries like Canada and Ukraine have acted fairly well until now, standing against the Islamic Republic and not accepting any compensation or damages, but rather insisting on the truth being revealed. However, other countries involved in this situation, such as Germany, England, Sweden, and Afghanistan, have not performed well and have not even properly reflected this crime in their own media. For example, in England, I see that many people are not even aware of such a major tragedy and have not even heard that such an incident has occurred, and this goes back to the performance of the media in these countries that have not covered this crime and their people are not informed about it.

How do you see the performance of Persian-language media outside of Iran, as well as English-language media, in covering the news of the Ukrainian plane crash and interviews with the families of the victims?

Most of us were ordinary families of victims. We were living our lives. We were neither politicians nor experts, and we did not come from the world of politics or space, but now we constantly follow laws and news and are forced to give interviews because we want to keep the memory of our loved ones alive and prevent this crime from being forgotten. Interviewing is not an easy task. It requires a lot of energy. Unfortunately, some newspapers and media outlets contact us and conduct interviews, but either do not publish them or share them with distortions; perhaps because they do not align with their interests. Therefore, we have decided not to give interviews to some media outlets at all. They are selective and delete some of our words. We do not want this and we are not satisfied with it. Every interview we do or any other action we take is only for the sake of seeking justice.

But in general, foreign Persian-language media outlets have been able to cover the news of the Ukrainian plane crash

How have the pressures from security institutions been on your family members who are in Iran?

The pressures that have been imposed on our family in Iran by security institutions include phone calls and in-person visits, under the pretext of sympathy, with the intention of coming to our house, turning on the television and causing trouble, claiming that we have been involved with other families. In reality, this was not the case and their goal was something else. Their only intention was to take photos and videos, and broadcast them, and twist the words of families and impose them on society with censorship. These excuses for visiting families are very painful and unjustifiable. They try to convince families to accept money through in-person visits; money that they call “compensation,” but we know that they want to pay these amounts as “blood money” and “hush money.” We do not want any compensation or sympathy from them. We only want the truth to be revealed and for it to be clear who is responsible for this crime. They must be held accountable and pay for their actions. This is all we

Has the Islamic Republic created any difficulties or restrictions for your family to hold ceremonies in Iran? Where is the burial place for the spoils? Have their belongings been handed over to you?

“I cannot say that we buried the spoils in Shiraz, because I believe there is nothing left of the spoils. The spoils were heavenly and did not have a place on earth. Our family has never set foot on the ground because we do not believe that what has been handed over and buried was the remains of the spoils. The ceremony was grand and the procession was held until the writing on the stone, the installation of the stone, and the burial site were all under the control of the Sepah. We had our hands tied and were not allowed to interfere in any of these stages or actions.
The spoils were buried in the martyrs’ section. The Sepah added “Shahideh” as a prefix to my sister’s name; Shahideh Ghonimat Azhdari. But did the spoils go to war? Were they soldiers? The spoils and all their companions had only bought a plane ticket. They had only come to their homeland

We were not given anything from the spoils except for a pair of earrings, a ring, and a half-burned passport. While the spoils included three suitcases, gold and money, a camera, and a laptop, which of course have no material value to us, but were very valuable to us spiritually. We could have had many photos and videos that were on the camera and laptop, but unfortunately they did not give them to us. From what I have heard, in some cases even electronic devices that were not broken and could have been given to families, after removing the memory cards and hard drives, were given to families. But nothing has been given to our family.
I can’t even bring these things to words; tombstone, burial, funeral, procession. These were not worthy of our loved ones. They should have lived for years, served, but they took our loved ones from us too soon.

In the year and a half that has passed since this crime, what has been the impact on you and your family emotionally, and how are you all doing today?

It is true. More than a year has passed since this crime and tragedy. On one hand, it has been so difficult for us that it feels like not just a year, but a century has passed. On the other hand, this crime and this sorrow and pain are still so fresh for us that it feels like it happened just yesterday. Every night when we go to sleep, we sleep with pain, sorrow, anger, and hatred, and every morning we wake up with the same feelings.

Please tell me a little about his wealth and world. What were his wishes and plans for himself and others?

“We grew up in a large cultural family and education has always been very important to us. After finishing high school, Ghaneemat was accepted into the natural resources program at Chamran University in Ahvaz. As she had a background in Qashqai nomadic culture, her chosen field of study and work allowed her to connect with her roots and enjoy it even more. She was accepted into the master’s program in forestry and range management at the University of Tehran after completing her bachelor’s degree. She then received a third rank acceptance for a PhD program at the University of Tehran, but unfortunately her spot was given to someone else and she was denied her rightful place. She then decided to pursue a scholarship at a university outside of Iran. She worked hard for years, taking the IELTS exam, corresponding with different universities, updating her resume, writing articles, and attending conferences and seminars while also working at a natural resources company in Tehran. Finally, she was successful in obtaining one of

If I were to describe Ghonim, not as my sister, but even as a neutral person, I can say that she was a girl full of life. This one sentence can express her way of life and her personality. Ghonim had enthusiasm and joy. She loved dancing, music, colors, discovering the unknown, traveling, education and progress, and in her short life, she was able to make progress in all these areas and fulfill many of her dreams. We wanted to always have Ghonim by our side, grow old together, and have many more memories, photos, and videos with her, but unfortunately, the criminals took this chance away from us and did not allow Ghonim to continue on the path she was walking on so well. Ghonim had recently started her life in Canada; a new life that she had high hopes for and was optimistic about. She had worked hard for years to reach the position she was in and had not achieved it easily.

Thank you for the opportunity you have provided us with to use the peace line.