Calls for justice as 3rd anniversary of downing of flight Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 approaches

On Jan. 8, 2020, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot the plane down shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 passengers and crew aboard.

Sunday will mark the three-year anniversary of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, and for Surrey’s Shahrokh Ferdowsi the pain is still raw.

On Jan. 8, 2020, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot the plane down shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 passengers and crew aboard.

Fifty-five Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents died in the disaster, including Ferdowsi’s cousin, Dr. Farhad Niknam, a Toronto dentist returning home from a Christmas visit with his wife and children in Iran.

“I really miss him, I miss his voice, I miss his presence, I wish he was here,” Ferdowsi told Global News through tears.

“The only thing that they found of his belongings was a pouch he had around his waist and a photo album.”

The photo album was turned to a page with pictures of Niknam’s children.

The final report from Iran’s civil aviation body blamed “human error” for the incident claiming a missile operator misidentified the airliner as a “hostile target” amid rising tensions with the U.S., and fired without getting approval from a superior — a report criticized victim’s families worldwide.

The plane was destroyed after being struck by two missiles fired 30 seconds apart.