In January 2020, shortly after it took off in Tehran, a plane of Ukrainian International Airlines was shot down by the Iranian military.
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The plane crash killed 176 people, 138 of whom were Canadian citizens.
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Iran's government said the plane's crash was a "catastrophic mistake".
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The Supreme Court of the Canadian province of Ontario ruled on May 20, 2021 that Iran must pay damages to families of the deceased.
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The families sued Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other leaders of the Islamic State.
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At the time of filing the lawsuit, compensation was sought in the amount of at least $1.2 billion.
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“Plaintiffs have proven that the defendants’ shooting down of Flight 752 was an act of terrorism” said Judge Edward Belobaba.
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The decision was based on the opinions of two experts, one of whom concluded that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were aware of the civilian nature of the aircraft, but “deliberately shot it down with the aim of destroying it”.
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Iranian authorities stated the Canadian court has no jurisdiction over the disaster because it occurred outside Canada.
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Foreign states are not generally subject to the jurisdiction of Canadian courts, but Canadian law has changed this since 2012 for countries designated as “foreign state sponsors of terrorism,” which includes Iran.
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Canada does not have diplomatic relations with Iran, and seeking reparations would likely be a lengthy and complex process, but similar procedures have occurred before on the US side.
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Based on the court ruling, Canadian lawyers filed a class action lawsuit against the Iranian authorities demanding to pay 1.5 billion Canadian dollars.
(1.1 billion US dollars).
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The name of the lead plaintiff was being withheld because his family in Iran could be at risk of persecution by Iranian authorities.
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However, the demands for payments were rejected by Iranian Foreign Minister on the grounds of having no basis.
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Warning: these questons and answers are not all representative of the way questions will be asked and answered in the pilot, because some questions are compound and some answers do not include citations.

Q: When was a plane of Ukrainian International Airlines shot down by the Iranian military over Tehran?
A: In January 2020A: In 2020

Q: How many people did the plane crash kill?
A: 176

Q: How many crash victims were Canadian citizens?
A: 138

Q: How did Iran's government explain the reason for the plane crash?
A: As a "catastrophic mistake" 

Q: Which court ruled on May 20, 2021 that Iran must pay damages to families of the deceased?
A: The Supreme Court of the Canadian province of Ontario

Q: Whom did the families of the deceased sue in the Supreme Court of the Canadian province of Ontario?
A: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiA: Top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard CorpsA: Leaders of the Islamic State

Q: What was the amount of the compensation sought at the time of filing the lawsuit?
A: $1.2 billion

Q: What did the court ruling classify the shooting down of Flight 752 as?
A: As an act of terrorism

Q: Whose opinion was the court decision based on?
A: Two experts

Q: What did one of the two experts in the Canadian court conclude about the actions of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards?
A: That they were aware of the civilian nature of the aircraftA: That they deliberately shot it down with the aim of destroying it

Q: Why did Iranian authorities state the Canadian court had no jurisdiction over the disaster?
A: Because it occurred outside Canada

Q: What does the 2012 Canadian law say about Canadian jurisdiction applying to foreign countries?
A: It applies to countries designated as “foreign state sponsors of terrorism”

Q: Why does Canadian jurisdiction apply to Iran?
A: Because it is among “foreign state sponsors of terrorism”

Q: What makes seeking reparations from Iran a lengthy and complex process for Canada?
A: Not having diplomatic relations with Iran

Q: Based on the Ontario court ruling, against whom did Canadian lawyers file a class action lawsuit?
A: Against the Iranian authorities

Q: What amount of reparations did Canadian lawyers seek in the class action lawsuit against the Iranian authorities?
A: 1.5 billion Canadian dollarsA: 1.1 billion US dollars

Q: Why was the name of the lead plaintiff withheld in the class action lawsuit?
A: Because his family in Iran could be at risk of persecution by Iranian authorities

Q: What was the reaction of the Iranian Foreign Minister to the Canadian lawyers’ demands for payments?
A: He rejected them

Q: Why did the Iranian Foreign Minister reject the demands for payments from the Canadian lawyers?
A: On the grounds of them having no basis