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NEWS
176 people, of whom 17 with Swedish connections were killed when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner last year.
Now, the Iranian aviation authority has released its final report on the incident, where they blame everything on one man.
– They have tried to explain this from the beginning, says Madeleine, 19, daughter of Mahdi who died in the disaster.
An ordinary airliner was identified as an enemy object. 176 people were killed when two robots attacked the plane in mid-air on January 8, 2020. 17 of them were heading home to Sweden, via the Ukrainian plane that was to stop in Kiev.
Mahdi Emami, 60, was one of the Swedish citizens killed in the attack. When his daughter Madeleine Persson, then 18, received the message, it felt like “her heart was breaking,” she had previously told Aftonbladet. She had spoken to him a few days before he returned home from Iran.
– I said “be careful dad, send a text message as soon as you land”. He replied “okay honey, I love you”.
Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi / TT
176 people died in the plane crash.
Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi / TT
Of the dead, 17 people were related to Sweden
Blamed immediately
Madeleine has always stressed that it is important for Iran to take responsibility for the disaster it has caused. Now that the country’s aviation authority has released its final report, they assign responsibility to an individual, who was in charge of the air defense cannon at Tehran airport that fateful night.
– It was so strange, they have tried to explain this from the beginning. At first they said it wasn’t their fault, they blamed everything else. They then agreed that they made a mistake. It has been very embarrassing, she says when the report was published.
“The plane was perceived as a hostile target by the air defense operator … near Tehran and two robots were fired,” Reuters was quoted as saying, citing the report.
– I do not know what to say. That man should at least get a life sentence, Madeleine Persson now says.
The man is now in prison, according to previous statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Photo: private
Madeleine Persson lost her father, Mahdi, in the accident.
Photo: private
Mahdi Emami, 60, was killed in the Iranian accident.
Accept, but it’s not okay
Ukraine, on the other hand, is not happy with the report.
“What we saw in the report today is nothing more than a cynical attempt to hide the real reasons for downgrading our plan.” writes Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on social media.
“We will not let Iran hide the truth, nor will we let them escape responsibility for this crime.”
– I completely agree, there is no common thread. Everything is so confusing, says Madeleine Persson.
Since the news of her father’s death last year, Madeleine Persson has moved to Portugal.
– There were too many memories, I miss my father in Sweden, he says.
– My little brother and I have been forced to accept this. We do not agree with that, but we have been forced to accept that it happened and we should try to find happiness anyway.
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