EDMONTON -- Families in Edmonton and eight other cities around the world participated in a multi-city rally on Monday to demand justice for the victims of Flight PS752.
The Ukraine International Airlines flight was en route to Kyiv from Tehran and was struck down by an Iranian missile minutes after takeoff.
One hundred and seventy-six people were killed in the crash, including 13 from Edmonton.
The group, the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, had several demands, including the release of the full report on the incident and for the International Civil Aviation Organization to condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Recently Canada’s foreign minister, Minister Champagne announced the formation of a forensics team that will be independently investigating this crime and advising the prime minister on how to proceed,” rally organizer Daniel Ghods told CTV News Edmonton. “We think that this is an important step and we’re asking the Government to continue and keep the pressure on to find out the truth.”
A report by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization was released in July, six months after the plane was shot down.
Javad Soleimani, whose wife was one of the victims, said he didn’t trust the investigation by the Iranian regime.
Soleimani pointed to Iran's days-long denial of any involvement in the crash immediately after it happened in demonstrating the need for an independent investigation by international authorities.
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With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jay Rosove.