Thousands gather to mourn, call for justice on 3rd anniversary of Flight PS752 tragedy

B.C. Premier David Eby stood in solidarity Sunday with grieving families in North Vancouver who gathered to mark three years since Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired a pair of surface-to-air missiles at a civilian plane over Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.

The North Vancouver event was one of several memorials held Sunday to mark the anniversary, including one in Toronto.

Fifty-five Canadian citizens were on the flight along with 30 permanent residents and others with ties to Canada.

It was the largest loss of Canadian lives in an air disaster since 280 Canadians died in 1985 after a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 travelling to London, England, from Toronto.

In a statement preceding the gathering in North Vancouver, where many Iranian-Canadians with ties to the tragedy reside, Eby said he joined them to mourn the deaths "on this solemn day of pain, sorrow and grief.

"Our outrage at the attack on Flight 752 is undiminished by the passing years," he said. "We again condemn this horrific act and stand with the victims' families in demanding justice."

Victims' families say three years after the tragedy they have yet to see the Iranian government be held accountable for the crime.

"Those families deserve answers," Eby said at the event. "And those victims deserve justice."

Monument to be built

Eby and the City of North Vancouver pledged up to $100,000 to build a monument in honour of the victims of Flight 752, but did not provide details on the location or when it would be built.

Seven of the victims were residents of the North Shore, including Delaram Dadashnejad, Faye Kazerani, Firouzeh Madani, Fatehmeh Pasavand, Ayeshe Pourghaderi, Naser Pourshabanoshibi, and Daniel Saket.

WATCH | Gatherings mark 3 years since PS752 was shot down: 

Friends and family of Flight PS752 victims demand justice 3 years after tragedy

2 years ago

Duration 2:24

Memorials were held across the country to mark three years since Flight PS752 was shot down over Iran, killing all 176 people on board. Many of the victims’ loved ones have spent the last three years pushing the Canadian government to act.

Hamidreza Borghei, 27, lost four family members in the tragedy, including his sister Negar Borghei, who was 30 when she died and had been living in Ontario.

"You can't really [quantify] the amount of loss that we've felt ... no matter how hard we try there is still that void in our hearts," he said from the event.

"We just hope that maybe this would be the catalyst to [bring] change in Iran at some point so we can seek justice for all the criminals that made this happen."

The crowd walked about 2.5 kilometres from a park in North Vancouver to the Shipyards, a waterfront area overlooking downtown Vancouver. Eby and others spoke while attendees held signs under heavy rain that read "Justice for Iran PS752" and "UNHCR take immediate action for Iran."

The City of North Vancouver said in a tweet that it estimated the crowd to be around 7,000 people.

Police closed roads and warned of traffic delays due to the large crowd attending the event.

Countries representing victims were stonewalled by Iran following an invitation to negotiate compensation for the victims' loved ones, while the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims published its own report on the incident in an effort to uncover what happened before and after the plane was downed.

They want a criminal probe and Ottawa to list IRGC as terrorist organization.

Arman Abtahi, one of the organizers of North Vancouver's rally, lost his brother Dr. Mehran Abtahi, who was 38 when the plane was shot down.

"We don't have time to grieve, we have to fight and after the fall of the Islamic regime we have time to grieve," he said from North Vancouver on Sunday.

In Toronto, another large crowd gathered to mark the anniversary and call for justice. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the crowd, promising more action.

An Iranian-Canadian cultural centre on Vancouver Island also held a rally Sunday, and the University of British Columbia marked the day in honour of four victims who were members of the school's community: Dr. Mehran Abtahi, Niloofar Razzaghi, Zeynab Asadi Lari and Mohammadhossein Asadi Lari.