Iran has charged 10 officials over the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) jet that was accidentally shot down last year, killing all 176 people on board.
Gholam Abbas Torki, the former military prosecutor for Tehran Province, said on April 6 that the 10 have been "brought to responsibility," adding that they will face trial to determine "the necessary conclusions" over the incident in January 2020, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
Torki, who made the comments at a ceremony where he was handing over the office to his successor, gave no further details.
Tehran initially claimed the passenger plane had crashed, but admitted after several days of secrecy and untrue statements that Flight PS752, which was headed to Kyiv, had been fired on by the country’s air defenses.
Iranian forces say they downed the Boeing 737 after mistaking it for an incoming missile at a time of high tensions with the United States.
Iran later called it a "disastrous mistake" by forces who were on high alert.
Claims by the Islamic Republic that the reason for the shooting was "human error" have been questioned by Ukraine, Canada, and many observers.
Iran's Civil Aviation Organization’s interim report blamed the tragedy on the misalignment of a radar system and a lack of communication between the air-defense operator and his commanders. But Ukraine and Canada have rejected these claims as well.
"The international community will not allow Iran to escape responsibility for the crime of downing a Ukrainian plane," Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in response to the report.
Those who died in the crash included citizens of Afghanistan, Britain, Canada, Germany, Iran, Sweden, and Ukraine.
