Four years after downing of Flight PS 752, families say Iran regime still trying to silence them

Jan. 8 marks four years since the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.

Fifty-five Canadians and 30 permanent residents were killed when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp shot down the passenger plane in the skies over Tehran with a pair of surface-to-air missles.

While families deal with the ongoing sorrow, the Iranian regime has ramped up its campaign to try to silence those who speak out for the victims of Flight PS 752.

Canadian Iranian human rights activist Hamed Esmaeilion — whose wife and daughter were killed in the downing of the flight — says his mother has been banned from leaving Iran for at least six months.

“She was in distress. I have heard that she was shivering when she heard the news,” Esmaeilion says.

His mother, Tooran Shamsollahi, was stopped at Tehran’s airport on her way to Canada to be with Esmaeilion to mark the anniversary of the deaths of his wife, Parisa, and nine-year-old daughter, Reera.

Esmaeilion says he believes the ban is a form of revenge for his activism, following his calls for action after a former senior minister of the regime was seen vacationing in Canada.

Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi is believed to have visited Canada after being spotted in the background of a TV news report on Quebec tourism and then caught on video visiting Casa Loma in Toronto in August 2023.

Global Affairs Canada posted to X that it is deeply concerned about the intimidation of family members of victims of Flight PS 752.

“We appreciate that. But that is not enough,” Esmaeilion says.

Kaveh Shahrooz, a Toronto-based human rights lawyer, activist and senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, who has been providing legal advice to the victims’ families, says Iran’s regime “has a long history of trying to intimidate members of the diaspora.”

Shahrooz says an account like Esmaeilion’s is not unusual, with threats from the regime — even on Canadian soil.

“Instead of giving him justice, the Iranian regime is now harassing other members of his family and putting him under threat. It really speaks to how despicable and evil the Iranian regime is,” Shahrooz says.

A recent Global News investigation uncovered reports of more than 700 regime-linked associates living in Canada.

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“The threat from the Iranian regime is very real and it’s multifaceted. There’s transnational repression that happens in this country,” Shahrooz says.

Esmaeilion says it was really important to have his mother by his side for the fourth anniversary.

While regime-linked insiders are living in Canada, Esmaeilion’s mother can’t even leave Iran, denied access to her son at a time when he needs her the most.

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