A tense new year has dawned in Baghdad
after U.S. air strikes against
an Iranian-backed militia led today
to one of the worst attacks
on a U.S. embassy in years.
The protest was in response to Sunday’s U.S. air strikes
against that same militia.
The U.S. blames the militia for a rocket attack
that killed an American defense worker.
And President Trump blamed Iran.
An elite Iranian General is dead
and the United States and Iran are closer to conflict.
Soleimani was personally responsible
for some of the absolutely worst atrocities.
The President gave the go-ahead to kill Soleimani
if Iran’s aggression led to the death of any American.
America martyred our commander.
You killed our number-two guy.
We’re ready to surrender. They’re not going to do that.
Death to America!
52 Iranian sites
will be hit very fast and very hard,
if Iran retaliates.
Missiles fired last night at us.
The strikes were in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike
which killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Recorded images of the 2-hour missile barrage on Al-Asad base.
After threats from the President and military
of the criminal state of America
to attack many targets in Iranian territory
in case we retaliate,
our armed forces are ready to respond.
Our missiles are big, powerful,
accurate, lethal and fast.
Urgent preparations are being made for the President
to potentially address the nation on these attacks tonight.
Avoid all non-essential travel.
We should update our viewers and say that the President
does not appear to be looking to make a statement
to the nation tonight here at the White House.
At 3 o’clock in the afternoon
on January 8th, 2020,
I was on my way to the Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
That was our plan.
The flight was supposed to land at 3:00 PM
and I was going to pick them up.
I was supposed to park my car,
linger in the arrivals’ hall
with flowers in my hand.
Right around 3:00 PM,
I should be seeing Reera tunning towards me
through the crowd with a big smile on her face,
throwing herself in my arms.
I would kiss her and hold her tight,
smell her hair,
and see Parisa walking watchfully behind her,
timing her approach.
Parisa would be pushing the luggage cart
with happy tears in her eyes.
I would hug and kiss her
and our family of three would be whole again.
The region is at heading 320.
Is it an active region?
There are lights.
At heading 320?
I can't tell, but it seems west.
What kind of a light is it?
It is a missile.
How many miles? Where?
Oh my lord, what was that?
What is that, Mahdi?
They attacked somewhere.
Ukraine International 752 radar.
What were you doing that day?
It is difficult to talk about it, but I will try.
Some parts I will, some I may not.
The day before, I cleaned up the house.
It was a work day, but I cleaned the house.
I was cleaning the bathroom.
It is impossible for me to talk about that day.
On the morning of January 8th,
a friend approached me
and told me that Hamed Esmaeilion
was on his way to Tehran to bury his family.
He warned that there might be trouble
and asked if I could help.
Hamed was a dentist by profession,
but also an accomplished rising star
in the contemporary Iranian literary scene
with a few published novels,
some of them banned by the Iranian Government.
I got on the airplane.
Many passengers recognized me.
We embraced. Even the passengers.
I saw Javad and Alireza for the first time.
Saloome...
and Amir.
The four of us combined...
No, there were five of us.
We had lost ten people.
Within hours, Canada’s Prime Minister
confirmed he had received intelligence
suggesting that Iran was responsible
for the lethal plane crash.
American officials reported
an Iranian anti-aircraft missile
shot the plane out of the sky.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials swiftly rejected those reports,
claiming that the crash was due to technical failures.
They are attributing that this, uh...
so claimed mistake,
has been done by our military.
We are very clear and confident about
our military and the missile,
if it has been in fact launched.
We are confident from our side
that there has been no missile launched
in that area at that time.
Certainly no missile has hit it. But we must investigate the reason.
It is now more important than ever
that we know exactly
how such a tragedy could have happened.
When we arrived at the Iranian border,
there were media reports that the plane was shot down.
Justin Trudeau speaking about
the Boeing plane that crashed in Iran
killing 176, including many Canadian citizens.
We have intelligence
from multiple sources,
including our allies and our own intelligence,
the evidence indicates
that the plane was shot down
by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
Other officials in Canada
are demanding that they have access
not only to the crash site,
but also to any investigation that takes place.
It remains to be seen...
I went to the rear of the airplane,
to get some water.
Three men stood up on my way back.
They said, "When you arrive in Iran...
there will be TV cameras.
The situation will be tense."
I told them I don't care and won't talk to them.
We took the Firooz Kooh Road.
Parisa loved that road.
I couldn't see the mountains and forests anymore.
I only remember the screams.
Everyone was screaming, "I miss them."
I raised my child so she would love Iran.
To feel she belongs to that country.
She was proud of being born in Tehran.
She said she is an Iranian-Canadian.
It is difficult to spell.
The wolf bites?
Or the Fox is black. Is that hard?
Yes, it is very hard.
You hanger-on!
Bye-bye.
My friends suggested to bury the girls in Iran.
My friend asked if I would bring them back.
So he can say goodbye.
I said no.
The thought of it is maddening.
We were not in a position to decide.
Or where they will rest in peace.
Someone who loves life can't rest in peace.
We hadn't even discussed these things.
Maybe we had, I can't remember.
It was an hour before I heard
the Islamic Republic admitted they shot the plane.
A top Iranian official
admits the Iranian people
were lied to about the air disaster
that has left 57 Canadians dead.
It appears there was a communications breakdown.
Either due to jamming,
or the network was busy.
He was unable to communicate.
He had ten seconds to decide.
He could fire or not.
Contrary to claims
by the IRGC Aerospace force commander
that the missile unit had only ten seconds
to decide whether to fire,
it appears that the unit had
at least a 45-second window
and possibly even more time to evaluate the target
and determine the appropriate action.
A thought flashed in my mind like lightning.
If we bury them here,
they will be labelled as martyrs.
Bury them where they want.
They will be present with their TV cameras.
Death to the US!
At that moment, we decided to bring them back.
It became my mission.
It helped me to survive those two weeks in Iran.
It became my reason to live.
Later, it became a fight for justice.
My dear Parisa, I fought hard.
With tearful eyes, a broken heart, I fought for you.
I wandered the hallways of their hellish foreign ministry.
I wandered in their wretched morgues.
I pleaded with everyone in that pigsty.
To bring you and Reera back.
To remove every obstacle in my way and bring you home.
I feared that they would try to stop me.
They might arrest me or the other families.
They murdered and now oppress like always.
Some anonymous people were watching.
There was so much fear.
Everyone was worried my plan would be discovered.
I got a call around 5:00 AM.
The Canadian team arrived in Iran.
They told me that they were in Tehran.
We arranged to meet them at 5:00 PM.
We talked about the meeting location.
They suggested to meet near Pars hospital.
They asked if I knew where it was.
Reera was born there.
I met them at 5:00 PM in front of the hospital,
where we waited for Reera's birth.
We sat in a cafeteria nearby.
I asked for three things.
First, Parisa and Reera must be returned to Toronto.
Second, I needed help with my family.
Most of them had visas.
My brother and Parisa's brother didn't.
I asked for visas for both of their families.
So they could attend the burial ceremony.
And my safety so I can do this.
They agreed to the first two.
But advised me to lay low.
That became my mission.
I kept contact with the Canadian government.
They told me to hide myself.
I should stay home and they will help me.
The family held a memorial in Sari. They had to.
That was also being watched.
It was like martial law.
There were agents across the street.
It was at the smallest mosque in Sari.
I did not attend.
When the victim ID list was released,
Parisa and Reera were not among the first fifty.
I was very sad.
The first 50 must have been easier to identify.
The day we went to the coroner's office.
We found the place.
When we entered, the guard was rude.
"Is it the airplane? Go inside."
There was a commotion inside.
Dozens of people were crying.
I waited for the judge.
It took half an hour for this judge...
to grant us an audience!
There was a large table in front of him
covered in fruits and sweets.
Like a sultan's court.
Drinks, tea. A feast for his honour!
I sat across his desk like a peasant.
You have to accept your position
once you enter this establishment.
I said I am taking them to Toronto.
"Oh yeah! To Toronto?" he said.
"Alright."
As he was talking to me,
his finger was in his mouth dislodging food!
A woman began to protest.
Her family calmed her. The officials remained quiet.
They knew how guilty they were.
Vigils for the crash victims soon turned
into anti-government protests.
Iran has turned a wave of popular supporting
to a tide of anti-government fury.
DEATH TO THE LIAR
I speak as a mourning family in grief.
As people who are like the walking dead.
I hold out my chest.
And plead to be arrested here.
Execute me right here.
After my child, I want no life.
I sensed that another country far away...
was mourning this loss together with us.
And this was giving me hope.
That I can pursue justice... when I return to Canada.
This is Toronto’s loss.
This is Ontario’s loss.
And this is Canada’s loss.
Mothers and fathers,
sisters and brothers,
partners and children,
our hearts ache.
And we are all pained to the core.
Madam, don't film.
It seems to be the fate of people
in the Middle East to suffer.
Hundreds of Iranian youth were shot on the streets of Tehran
for protesting corruption,
crying for freedom.
And their loved ones were arrested
for mourning their loss.
I wanted to go to the Canadian delegate's hotel.
Stay with them even in the hallways.
To be with Parisa and Reera on the same plane
because they will not allow the transport.
We arrived in Toronto,
we were on our way from the airport.
The house was all I had left.
8, 7, 6, 5...
4, 3, 2, 1!
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
♪ Happy birthday to you... ♪
My understanding of the word "pain"
changed when I locked eyes with Hamed at his home
after burying the remains of his wife and daughter in Toronto.
It was our first meeting without a commotion around us.
I told him there may never be the justice
that he and the other families want and deserve.
But they should never give up and keep fighting.
The COVID restrictions took hold
and we were left with late-night phone conversations.
When we had a chance to meet,
I grabbed onto anything I could,
a pocket recorder, my phone, or some camera,
to record what he was going through.
Before I knew it, a documentary was coming to life
without either of us thinking about it.
One night, we both came to the conclusion
that no matter how hard it would be
to find the truth and get justice,
I will document his journey.
This was the beginning of an intense friendship
between Hamed and I.
A friendship that we both wish
would never have come about under these circumstances.
They are dried up.
I haven't collected the letters yet.
They shouldn't get ruined in rain.
I didn't find the time to reply to them.
The flowers and candles.
I couldn't answer them yet.
I don't know when I can.
When?
I don't know if I should leave them or take them?
I am in agony.
And these thoughts increase my pain.
You want to hold on to the past.
But some things are more powerful than you
and bring you to your knees.
It is unbelievable.
It is twisted.
No one can explain how life changes.
The upstairs hasn't changed since they left.
I am living every day with their memory.
I am fighting for them every day.
This is how I find the will to continue.
It is all in this house.
When I am away for a few hours...
I miss the house and must go back.
The first thing I wrote when I got out.
Those criminals, the generals and mullahs...
I didn't let them reach you and your daughter.
Since we’re living in the new age
of virtual press conferences, I just...
My plan was to launch a lawsuit in Canada
to seek justice.
I was going to fight alone...
And take this to the courts.
But meeting with lawyers,
that was a rude awakening for me.
They said if I want the truth and get justice,
the Canadian government must act
to petition the International Court of Justice.
I’ll turn this over to Hamed.
Thank you for attending our launch of
the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, today.
I’m Hamed Esmaeilion,
a Canadian citizen of Iranian descent.
I lost my wife, Parisa,
and my 9-year-old daughter, Reera.
Today marks the 160th day since
Ukraine International Airline flight 752 was shot down
with missiles fired
by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
176 passengers and crew died.
Among them, 29 children,
eight entire families who have no one to represent them here today.
The Association pursues three principal goals:
Keeping the memories of the victims alive,
supporting the families of victims,
and most importantly, seeking justice.
Our first demand was to have a full investigation
on this atrocity.
Thank you, Hamed.
Several months passed and nothing happened.
We tried to pressure the government,
the foreign minister, minister of transportation.
We were told that things take time.
There is little room for hope.
But we must keep trying.
What is it?
It's a missile.
We must know what happened.
Strange things happened that night.
There is something about this flight,
that led to their attack.
I mean, there is a mystery in this case.
The most important thing is investigation.
We want to know what happened.
If they claim it was "human error", what caused it?
Keeping the sky open wasn't human error.
They sent bulldozers on the first day.
They removed everything.
All the evidence seems to have been cleared up.
There are scavengers picking the scene apart.
There’s no cordon. There is no security.
Apparently, no investigation.
That’s no way to conduct the aftermath
of a terrible plane accident, is it?
Are we in fact relying on the reporters
to have judgement about a very technical issue?
Why is the scene being bulldozed?
Why do we have bulldozers out there clearing the evidence?
Normally, you’d pick up the evidence,
you’d map the area, clear it off.
This is absolutely... This is absolutely absurd.
Madame, don't film.
Okay.
They robbed all of the valuables.
Without exception.
None of the victims' valuables were returned.
The relatives can confirm that.
Canada is moving ahead today
in the investigation into the flight 752 disaster.
The federal government is demanding
a significant role in the probe.
And today, the Canadian investigation moves into Iran.
Getting to Iran, especially at that time and that moment, wasn’t very easy.
We had to arrange visas, etc...
We had to go through flights through other countries,
such as Turkey.
And then, also, arrange security
and assistance for our travels as well too.
So, it was complicated.
It did certainly take a few days.
I want to say three. It might have been four.
The site of the disaster is in Iran.
The evidence is in Iran.
The witnesses are in Iran.
And the people who are accused are in Iran.
So nobody outside of Iran has any direct access to any of that.
That makes pursuing a criminal investigation
from outside of Iran very difficult.
The 752 case is not about air safety.
There is no aviation safety issue
other than a military act against a civilian aircraft.
There was no technical issue with the airplane.
There was no air traffic issue at the airport.
There was no radar or air traffic control issue.
There was no technical or air safety problem.
The only issue was that a military, security system...
Positions an air defence battery near the airport...
And that is where our story begins.
Iran has a path to choose.
Either they go to the path of transparency and accountability.
Taking full responsibility.
When you say to the world you take full responsibility,
that comes with consequences.
They submit to investigations.
We have a right to be present...
in any examination of the black boxes.
We will not surrender them to others.
Once you’ve had a situation
where they deny that there was any military involvement.
And then, they reversed their position.
Then they bulldozed the crash site.
Then they delayed the black boxes.
And then, they intimidated the families and harassed them.
And Canada repeatedly asked for accredited status
in the investigation.
And Iran consistently ignored that request.
You’ve got that pattern of behaviour.
You asked for accredited status.
What would it have given you?
I could have suggested they do things,
suggest they release information.
I could’ve had access to much more information.
I could’ve asked for other information
and they had to technically give it to me.
But limited to that expert role,
and limited to just requesting accredited representative status,
I was in this weird diplomatic holding.
In spite of the letters that I sent personally
to the head of the AIB
and later on to the Deputy Minister
of the Civil Aviation Organization.
In spite of our asking for a higher status,
in fact, they never answered me.
You were there for four days.
I think it was a little more than that.
How many times
did you ask for accredited status?
- Every day. - Every day?
I mean, it was a regular conversation.
What does that mean? How much longer?
Negotiations can't take forever.
There was a clear promise from Iran to cooperate,
in terms of investigation.
And I think we do not see enough.
We should do so much better on that.
And I think such a delay
is a sign of disrespect towards the grieving families.
We are in close touch with the association of families
of the flight victims here in Canada.
And I know that Minister Champagne spoke to them yesterday.
Think about the pain they are going through without closure.
A report from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization
said that air defense equipment was misaligned
and incorrectly identified the plane
as a hostile object.
We can speak to Hamed Esmaeilion who is a dentist from Toronto.
Hamed, you’ve become a spokesperson
for the victims’ families.
When you hear what the Iranians have said
in terms of what happened,
does this bring any sort of closure for you?
Not at all. This report just raises more questions.
We have families from the UK,
from Sweden, from Afghanistan, Iran and Canada.
And all of them are destroyed
with this delay and with this mockery
of the conventions and all the regulations by Iran.
I think the Iranian officials, they just try to shape
the public opinion about that
and find a way to obstruct justice.
The inconsistencies, inaccuracies and gaps
in the official explanation create a maximum of confusion.
And thus, seem to be contrived to mislead in one of more ways.
As for the admitted mistake, these indicate a reckless,
if not criminal disregard,
for standard procedures and principle of precaution,
which should have been implemented to the fullest,
given the circumstances and the location of the unit.
Those explanations also point to a deep failure of the chain of command,
both civilian and military.
Indeed, on the basis of the information received,
one may even question whether there was an order
or implicit encouragement by the chain of command
to the crew on the ground, to apply lethal force,
without going through standard procedures
and precautionary steps.
We know what caused the crash.
I mean, this is obvious. Missiles were fired.
Do you believe it was human error, as Iran claims?
No, I don’t.
Hello?
Hello, how are you?
Mr. Esmaeilion, I have only 7 or 8 minutes.
No more, so I will get to the point.
Okay, go ahead.
I have things to tell you.
It is up to you to believe me or not.
- Yes. - I live in...
I don't need anything.
No need for money, or to come to Canada. I have a friend...
He works in one of Iran's intelligence organizations.
He told me things about that night.
He talked to me about that night.
About who they removed from the plane.
He had some documents with him.
I saw those documents.
Photographs from the command centre.
The papers that were exchanged.
He had a lot of documents with him.
Why was he afraid to show these to the media?
He said it's not just the Iranians, the Russians are also after him.
I asked what the Russians have to do with it.
It wasn't just the Iranians, the Russians were involved.
He has a lot of documents about the plane that night.
A lot of documents, a lot of information.
I can tell you that this person is the black box of that night.
If you are serious about the truth,
if you really want to know what happened that night,
this person can give you all that information.
In any court.
Let me add something else...
I was walking yesterday.
A woman approached me.
There was some small talk.
She had Reera's health card.
It's the only thing left from Reera...
Was delivered to another family.
The only item.
Hello, how are you?
Hello.
Thank you very much.
Thanks. How did this reach you?
A friend gave it to me.
It's been a few months. I couldn't reach you.
You had it for a few months?
Very kind of you.
This is the least I could do.
- Thank you. - Anytime.
In our case, every conceivable crime has been committed.
Every filthy thing you can think of.
Even torturing family members.
They used the passengers as a human shield.
We believe they fired intentionally.
I will leave it to others to prove.
Every day they said some nonsense on their TV.
From their leader to some petty officer.
Saying it was a spy plane, we are happy we shot it down.
We want to stop a big war...
with a war.
This is our only option.
We had to surprise the enemy.
We had to deceive the enemy.
We had to be prepared for retaliation.
We took our game of war to the end.
This was not a battlefield where...
we think we would attack and that will be the end.
Put yourselves in our place.
We hit the American base.
He claimed to target 52 points.
He reacts.
What do you do? What will he do in return?
We were the source of the theory ourselves...
that our missile might have been fired.
Only because it happened at the same time.
And if we were not the source...
for shaping this theory...
no one could find out.
We did not touch anything.
Neither removing the airplane pieces nor disturbing the scene.
Nor moving the missile unit.
Neither the radar graphs.
I think, now, the only hope that we have,
unfortunately, is Ukraine’s criminal case.
Because, for some reason,
we haven’t decided to join Ukraine
in the joint investigation.
For some reason, we haven’t done enough in ICAO.
So, Michel, we don’t talk about conspiracy theories.
Opening the airspace open that night is a crime.
Bulldozing the crash site is a crime.
Looting the belongings of the passengers is a crime.
All of that should have been addressed in ICAO.
But we failed to do that, unfortunately.
And we talked to Mr. Sciacchitano last week,
and when I asked him why he didn’t address these issues,
he said Canada hasn’t brought them up.
So he blamed Canada for not acting
as a principal member of ICAO.
So then, in my opinion, we have lost one year in ICAO.
And we already lost one year in the criminal investigation.
So Ukraine probably is the only hope
for the families now,
if we want to see these criminals
in an international court of justice.
We had a meeting with Ukrainian officials last week as well.
And as a human rights organization...
Because this association is a human rights organization.
I just assured them that we are not gonna sign any document
accepting an apology or accepting compensation
from the Iranian Government.
If this road is going to end up to compensation
and an apology from Iran, we are not in.
Nine months have passed.
On the morning of January 8th,
a Ukrainian airline carrying 176 passengers
was shot down near Tehran’s International Airport.
We, the families of the victims, are still alive.
And our only reason to live is justice for our lost loved ones.
Let us all join forces and unite in our belief in justice.
It will not bring our loved ones back,
or alleviate our eternal suffering,
but it shall serve our dedication to the charter of human rights.
How we can conduct ourselves in the face of this crime,
how Canada sides its justice shall be a historic milestone.
Let us make it yet another milestone for us
to claim that Canada stood on the right side of history.
Let us demonstrate Canada’s steadfast dedication
to justice and dignity of our fellow human beings.
We only live with this hope in our hearts.
While Hamed and the families around the world
were struggling to be heard by the media,
public and political institutions,
those in Iran took to the streets,
despite the intense pressures they were under.
Down with the Islamic Republic!
Justice! Justice! Justice!
The so-called statement has no legal basis.
And cannot determine the deadline.
If there is any will and intent...
for an impartial, independent investigation...
based on the law and justice...
the judge must rectify the shortcomings.
Justice! Justice! Justice!
Where innocent people come for justice...
they shut them up.
They won't let their voices be heard.
They don't listen to their protests.
The judge in charge is hiding.
The prosecutor lies.
The investigator secretly closes the file.
The families are worried about the investigation,
that Iran is leading that investigation.
We ask the international organizations
or TSBs in Canada if they can take over
or if they can supervise what is going on.
We had the situation now where,
in accordance with Annex 13,
the state in which the occurrence happened
has the right to lead the investigation.
ICAO requires states to have an independent safety
investigation authority to investigate aircraft accidents.
Do you think the air accident investigation
bureau of Iran is independent?
Not structurally.
Because the AAIB is part of the civil aviation organization.
Which means it’s not independent
of the civil aviation authority in the country.
To be independent, it starts with,
not just legislation, but also structural independence.
The rule that the country where it happened
should lead the investigation doesn’t work.
Because you’ve got a built-in conflict of interest.
The country responsible for the military that did the shooting
is the country that’s responsible for the investigation.
It’s a built-in conflict.
And you will never have independence and impartiality
in which everyone can have trust and confidence,
as long as you have that built-in conflict.
Why should the government in Canada go as fast as you want?
What happened so far was due to your persistence.
What would happen if we weren't there?
Without you they'd just offer compensation.
85 Canadians were killed.
Imagine they had no one.
Imagine we didn't exist.
What would you do if you were Canada's Prime Minister?
I want, you know, honestly,
I wanted to use this meeting
to send a message to our Prime Minister.
As you say, all the time,
that all the options are on the table.
I think, for someone like me,
I have other options on the table too.
But my first option was waiting for Canada to act on my behalf.
But we didn’t show any teeth to Iran.
We didn’t.
And last week, they were rude enough to say,
"We killed them, good thing we did."
I prefer to go and stand beside
those poor fathers and mothers in Tehran,
than to be in safe haven here,
just waiting for our government
to react to any of those comments that they give to the families.
I prefer to do that than wait.
But from day one, Mr. Goodale,
we said that Iran is not gonna cooperate.
When we see the lawyers of the government here,
they narrowed the reparations to an apology and compensation.
What about the truth? Truth is a big part of the reparations.
And we know that we won’t get it from Iran.
We know that.
We are victims of terrorism.
And we have nowhere to go.
We have to just have meetings, write letters. And...
I don’t know. We are depressed.
We are losing our jobs. We lost our family members.
And what’s next?
So...
You know, I can talk to you until tomorrow,
but...
This is my life.
And I am not that kind of person, who walks away.
I will stand until the end of this.
And I will die for something as valuable as justice.
They told you their neutrality prohibits them...
from responding to your call for justice?
Yes.
This is the Communications Chief of the ICAO,
answering to my interview request for the documentary.
The neutrality of this organization
prohibits them from participating
to an interview for a documentary
about air traffic safety and flight PS752.
Is that what the world has come to?
You want to talk to just...
I asked directly for President Sciacchitano.
ICAO is the organization
which is responsible for the safety of the skies.
So what happened here, the International community
and other governments, they handed over
the investigation to the murderer.
This is a nightmare for the families.
This will be our nightmare forever.
Thinking about those moments.
I just want to show you something.
This is a of a victim.
At the time that ICAO was not condemning this crime,
this was happening in Iran. It happened last February.
They lashed him. And he lost his (beep!).
And he was in prison. He’s not allowed to leave the country.
At the airport, they downed the plane,
he’s not allowed to leave the country.
This is the criminal investigation they are doing.
And this is a picture of my wife, her OHIP card.
It was found on the crash site in July,
by a total stranger,
and was sent to me on Instagram.
Hello.
- Hello. - How are you?
Thank you.
I am calling about your message.
Yes, I am at your service.
There is background noise. Can you hear me?
Yes, I hear you. I am playing prayers so I won't be heard outside.
Can you explain a little more?
There are two letters. There is a lot more.
About that incident.
But to start our work,
so you can find justice or whatever else in court,
there is a voice recording
from Shamkhani on the night of the incident.
He tells the aerospace commander...
when the mission is ordered.
Many people have contacted me.
I am responding one by one.
Put yourself in my place.
I must know...
I must see something.
I can send you an extract of the first letter.
Because the rest is sensitive. I will be in trouble.
You are helping us only for money?
I have money trouble. Yes.
I also don't want my identity to be revealed.
You know what it's like in Iran.
Of course we need the original documents to use them as evidence.
Of course. I will send you the originals.
No problem.
Very well. I will wait.
- I am at your service. - Thank you.
Sounded like a military man.
Yes. Religious, military.
$75,000 is not much money to ask.
He is low-balling to lure you in.
It's not because he wants it.
I think he was low ranking, nothing with authority.
Yes.
I don’t want to get into details.
I understand the lines are not secure.
I just want to tell you that at least two people from
contacted us.
But the RCMP didn’t show any interest to check this.
They have the audio files. They have everything.
When somebody from Iran contacts me,
and says, "I want to talk to you
and I want to give you this information,"
what should I do?
The best approach, I think, is that somebody,
a liaison officer, or somebody, or a team
just helping me, or the other family members,
"Okay, this is the way to do it."
Or, "We need this document to prove that."
I am not an expert on this.
So that’s why it just puts this duty on my shoulders
to go and find the guy in (beep!).
Do you think that this letter is valid, or not?
Will they follow up?
- Will there be a criminal case? - No.
At the end I said we will go to Ukraine.
- I said we will go to Ukraine. - Okay.
She said, "Okay, go ahead."
No one should know we are going to Kyiv.
Nothing to worry about. Kyiv is a safe city.
The government officials know about this trip.
There is nothing to worry about.
But no one should know until we return.
I liked this airport.
Now I hate all airports.
It took hold of me since I entered the airport.
I must go on this trip.
I don't want to get on an airplane.
I don't want to anymore.
We are delayed by one hour.
Exactly like flight PS752.
You've been waiting 15 months for this trip to Ukraine.
More than that, we wanted to go since May 2020.
Then with COVID they re-scheduled for December.
The visit was cancelled at the last minute.
Then they preferred to meet online.
We asked and waited for them to come.
The Canadian Government said no.
And we decided to go. We will go.
Even now, the case is moving forward
to go to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
It’s gonna go there,
but not because of the first-degree murders.
In an ideal world, the next morning that this happened,
there should be arrest warrants. I don’t know.
A number of people should have been arrested.
I know that nobody is in prison.
Dear Mr. Esmaeilion,
let us express our gratitude for your letter
and for your visit to the Prosecutor General’s office.
Ukrainian prosecutors, just as you,
are concerned and will do their best
to establish the objective truth in the case.
We’d be grateful if you could provide us
with the information about preferable time slots next week,
so we can move on with organizational issues
and agree on a time and date.
We are looking forward to the continuation of our cooperation
and the investigation of the PS752 case.
Okay. We are going to have a meeting with (beep!).
Mm-hmm.
GSR Committee and some lawyers.
Hmm.
Uh...
And now, the third one,
a meeting with the Prosecutor General’s office
with our lawyers.
This is within the 24 hours
after your 24-hour visit to Ukraine.
Yes.
Finally, the Ukrainian Justice ministry is coming to Canada to begin investigations.
I hired a lawyer when I was in Iran
to receive Reera and Parisa's belongings if they delivered anything.
He sent me some photos later.
Keys, an iPhone and a watch.
He asked if I could identify any of them.
The phone had Parisa's name on it.
I immediately recognized Parisa's Apple Watch.
Push the button.
Let it charge.
Did you see?
I need to know if she was alive...
during those 3 minutes and 42 seconds.
If the heart rate was recorded on her watch.
Is there any way we can find out
through my Apple ID on the web,
when was the last time my Apple Watch was backed up?
I know it was two days before.
- On the sixth. - It was more than two days.
- This is the fourth. - Here is the sixth.
That is not in Iran.
See if it powers on.
It came on for one moment.
This dilemma has started because
the original iPhone is destroyed.
Will I be able to keep my data on the Apple watch?
That’s what we don’t know.
Will it transfer all of my health data
from my Apple watch without activating a new Apple watch?
To be honest with you,
I think not...
A faint light is on.
Let's see if it has historical data.
I can't see it on mine.
This couldn't happen in the crash.
I want to know if it comes on.
- Plug it in. - I have once before.
We need to send it in for repair.
But if you send it in, they make you sign...
Look it powered on.
- What do you mean? - It shows 2:41.
The Iran time is 2:41 now.
What is the time in Iran now?
Yes, it is powered up.
Don't press on the screen.
Just move the knob.
- This one? - Yes.
Come show me how.
- It moves up and down. - Can you tap on it?
The last message was mine.
She had another message too.
I can't tap the screen for messages.
Put the SIM card in your phone...
See if it is her phone or not.
I want to know if this is Parisa's phone or not.
- It is like bringing the dead to life... - It's backwards.
Call my number to see if it works.
- The card is not working. - How can it be?
This doesn't belong to Parisa.
I don't know if it was me or Parisa...
It was me, Parisa didn't ask these questions.
I asked where she wants to be buried after death.
She said...
"Whatever Reera wants."
When this disaster happened...
I had to answer this question myself.
Where and how.
Reera wasn't there for me to ask her.
But I knew what her answer would be.
It would be in Canada.
And because Parisa loved lakes and the sea...
I searched to find somewhere near water.
Near a river or a lake.
Now it is near a small lake.
We chose that location.
The symbol on the site was very important for me...
that it represents three people.
I think all three of us were destroyed.
Two of them left but the third... is practically gone.
I wanted something beautiful to be left behind on this earth.
One of them could be the grave site.
People should know about those...
whose lives were unjustly taken.
When I returned from Iran, I searched her room.
I found her laptop. She didn't take it.
I haven't found the courage to open it yet.
What is the last thing she searched for?
What to write inside a wedding card.
This is her last search.
"Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness.
Your wedding day will come and go,
but may your love forever grow.
Best wishes on this wonderful journey
as you build your new lives together."
This was open.
"Add a phone number and email,
remind me later."
Her mail is open. My God.
January 6th.
WINTER
REERA
PARISA
Remember when you and I began,
you said something that I completely believe.
There is no justice.
What justice? What will satisfy me?
But it is worth fighting for.
That means if I...
wouldn't pursue this as one of the families,
I could never forgive myself.
I couldn't, I had no other way.
What is the right way?
Other than crying out in pursuit of justice.
But the lost right will never be returned.
Ordinary people are helpless...
in getting justice for their loved ones.
There is no light on the horizon.
But we should try, even with a glimmer of hope.
If I will ever have peace in my life again...
It is impossible. I don't believe I will.
Tranquility? What does it mean?
I don't know, peace and calm...
Maybe because I have not experienced it for the past two, three years.
This word is strange to me... Peace.
It means coming home with peace of mind,
to have things to look forward to.
To think about them and plan for them.
It is impossible for me to recreate that.
No. Never. I am sure.
Because two years have passed with no change.
I think it will continue like this.
What I can see with the others,
it gets worse for some, but never better. It stays the same.
Hamed, my condolences to you,
as always. It doesn’t matter how many years pass,
I’m sure the pain is still a big part of your life.
How has your heart survived, sir?
Where is my daughter now?
She was supposed to be at the school in grade 5 right now.
But she’s in a cemetery in Elgin Mills.
And this is not right. We deserve to know the truth.
I know I want to know what happened
to my wife and my daughter.
Hamed Esmaeilion is the spokesperson
for the Association of the Families
of flight PS752 victims.
Until early this morning,
some here in Kyiv doubted that he would do it.
Russia has invaded Ukraine.
Exchanges of fire...
Full-scale invasion of Ukraine...
The largest invasion of a neighbouring country in Europe.
Russian troops are closing in on the capital.
Families scrambling for safety.
Putin chose this war, he said.
Now he and his country will bear the consequences.
I'm reading the news from Ukraine.
Russia has connected Crimea to Mariupol.
They're sending troops there. There's cholera in Mariupol.
They're opening 10 thousand war crimes cases.
They must investigate them.
There is no end in sight for the war.
Russia has occupied 20% of Ukraine.
War broke out just when we were getting somewhere.
After 18 months of hard work,
finally convincing the Canadian government.
They weren't opening a criminal case.
The Ukrainian Justice Ministry team finally arrived
on February 22.
War broke out within 48 hours.
It is not morally right for us to push
a country that has lost thousands...
to prioritize our case for 177 victims.
I will not give up.
I told them a hundred times, I will say it again.
I will not give up.
Despite war, elections, government change...
COVID, or anything else that may happen.
Every time we were knocked down, we got back up again.
It happened many times in two and a half years.
I will not give up.
As tensions were growing in the Middle East
in early 2020,
Iranian citizens were anxious,
especially those who lived overseas.
The passengers of flight PS752
were concerned about disruptions in their travel plans.
But most of them were unaware of the outbreak of war
on the morning of January 8th.
176 passengers lost their lives.
They left behind hundreds of their family members and loved ones,
friends, associates and colleagues,
whose lives were shattered on the morning of January 8th,
as the ill-fated flight PS752 took off from Tehran.
They had no part in the regional power struggle.
The Iranian Government chose to keep the skies open
and withhold any information from airlines
about the rocket attacks
they launched on the American base
in Iraq at 1:20 AM,
just five hours before their scheduled flight.
The victims’ families were faced
with extraordinary circumstances.
Their ordinary lives entangled in a web
of international diplomacy, legal complexities,
politics and heartache.
Hundreds of lives suspended in an emotional limbo
without answers that appear to be the key
to finding closure in their loss.
Every single one of the stories represent a world of hope
lost in a universe of pain.
The closer I got to their grief,
the more helpless I found myself in being able to understand
how one can survive such a loss.
None of the passengers or their families
could have foreseen in their wildest imagination
that they were to become
part of the tragic history of the Middle East.
This desperate search for the truth
has come face to face with reality,
one that we, like the families of the victims,
must live with for the rest of our lives.
Only the truth may make our lives meaningful.