Montreal protesters call for action as 3-year anniversary of Flight PS752 tragedy nears

Just three days before flight PS752 was shot down from the sky over Iran, Mohammad Aminnia celebrated his engagement to a woman he describes as one of the most brilliant he has ever known.

"She was full of life. Full of energy," Aminnia said.

"She didn't even want to sleep because she always told me, 'life is short and I want to experience a full life,' but I didn't know life was going to be too short for her."

Aminnia's fiancée was Masoumeh Ghavi. She was on her way back to Canada with her sister, Mahdie, when Iranian forces fired surface-to-air missiles at the passenger plane, killing all 176 people onboard.

The Ukraine International Airlines flight, bound for Kyiv, went down on Jan. 8, 2020, just minutes after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. 

Most of the passengers were headed to Canada, with many being either citizens or permanent residents. They were dentists and doctors, whole families with small children, newlywed couples and students returning from holidays.

Now Aminnia is among those calling for action. A demonstration was held on Thursday in front of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) office in Montreal. Based in Montreal, the ICAO is a United Nations specialized agency funded and jointly run by 193 countries to make decisions on international air transport issues.

Community is 'angry and sad'

Demonstrators are forming a sit-in and holding a hunger strike until Sunday. About 20 people gathered during the day, and more were expected to join the protest, Aminnia said.

"The community is angry and sad," said Aboozar Behesti, the co-founder of Women, Life, Freedom — the group behind the demonstration.

WATCH | Mohammad Aminnia remembers his fiancé: 

Man remembers fiancée who was killed when Flight PS752 was shot down

2 years ago

Duration 2:33

Mohammad Aminnia was engaged to be married to a woman he describes as one of the most brilliant he has ever known.

Protestors are criticizing ICAO for handing the investigation off to the same government accused of launching the missiles at the passenger plane — Iran.

"We are here after three years to just say that this inaction is not acceptable at all," Behesti said.

"Also to remind the government of Canada that they are also responsible to put pressure on this organization."

The demonstrators also called for Iran's ICAO representative, Farhad Parvaresh, to be removed from the organization.

Canada joins fight to hold Iran accountable

In an emailed statement, an ICAO spokesperson told CBC News the organization welcomed "peaceful activism in the pursuit of social justice," but that it could not comment on individual states' diplomatic affairs. 

Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have formally triggered a process to hold Iran legally accountable for shooting down Flight PS752, the International Coordination and Response Group, which was formed to co-ordinate efforts to seek accountability and reparations over the plane's downing, announced last month.

On Friday, Canadian Global Affairs issued a statement reaffirming its commitment "to hold Iran to account for the senseless deaths of those aboard the flight."

It said it was working along with international partners "to address gaps in ICAO's aircraft accident investigation protocols, to ensure that future investigations are conducted in a more credible, transparent and impartial manner."

The federal government says the Safer Skies Initiative was launched in response to the incident as well. The initiative is aimed at mitigating risks in conflict zones, the statement says.

Nastaran Razmjoo, a volunteer with Women, Life, Freedom, told CBC News that she lost a friend when the plane was shot down.

"It's very emotional for me to be here at this moment," she said during the protest Thursday.

"We are asking for justice for the passengers of this flight — for their families."

On Sunday, protesters will march from McGill University back to the ICAO office to mark the tragedy's three-year anniversary.