Events planned to commemorate anniversary of downed Ukraine Flight PS752

Two Metro Vancouver memorial events have been organized to observe the anniversary of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in 2020.

Monday marks four years since two Iranian surface-to-air missiles struck the plane minutes after it took off from Tehran, resulting in the deaths of 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

Arman Abtahi, who lost his brother in the tragedy, is organizing two memorials in Metro Vancouver to observe the anniversary.

On Sunday, a candlelight vigil will be held in front of the ice rink near the Vancouver Art Gallery at 5 p.m.

Then on Monday, an exhibition will be held at the Pipe Shop Venue at the Shipyards in North Vancouver.

“In this event, we’re going to have some live music and some performances,” Abtahi said. “And also all the passengers with their biographies are there so people can come there, have a peaceful time. It’s a place to reflect and to remember the lost life and the victims of this flight.”

This will be a chance for members of the community to pay their respects, he says.

Abtahi says they are also working with the City of North Vancouver to establish a monument to the victims of this flight.

Last year, people gathered in the rain in North Vancouver to commemorate the third anniversary of the event, marching down to the Shipyards and protesting Iran’s Islamic regime.

In total, 176 people were killed when the plane was struck. Abtahi says efforts continue to have Iran prosecuted for the shooting.

“This past year for affected countries — Canada, Ukraine, Sudan, and UK — filed their claim to the International Court of Justice,” he said.

Abtahi says there is no closure for those who lost loved ones in the event.

“The Iranian regime is not taking any responsibility,” he said. “They’re just putting pressure on family members. It makes everything even worse.”

Meanwhile, Abtahi is still dealing with the loss of his brother, who was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia.

“He was the only family member I had in Canada.”