The voice of a girl singing a popular Persian song fills the air as candles flicker. Mothers whose children had boarded Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 on Jan. 8, 2020, embrace one another at the Vancouver Art Gallery in downtown Vancouver on Jan. 7, 2025. Five years ago, Flight PS752 was shot down by two missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, killing everyone on board near Tehran, Iran.
The singer is Alma Oladi, one of the passengers on the flight.
Oladi’s mother, Laleh Bagheri, is one of the mourners at the memorial in Vancouver. As her daughter’s recorded voice sings out, she embraces Hooriran Sohrab, who lost her 30-year-old daughter, Negar Borghei, and her son-in-law, Alvand Sadeghi, in the tragedy.
“She was so kind,” Bagheri says about her daughter. “A young scientist, energetic, who loved mathematics.”
Bagheri immigrated to Canada two years ago, three years after the tragedy, and now resides in West Vancouver on the North Shore. Among the 176 people who lost their lives, 55 were Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents of Canada. Seven of the victims resided in either North Vancouver or West Vancouver.
Oladi, a doctoral student at the University of Ottawa, was known for her energy and innovation. She worked in the Sankoff Laboratory, focusing on the mathematical study of genes and genomes.
“Her colleagues and students admired her dedication to supporting other students,” her mother says.
Oladi returned home over the winter break to celebrate her 27th birthday with her beloved family.
“After the tragedy, I found a letter she had written,” says Bagheri. “She had wished to be a well-known mathematics scientist by the age of 27.”
In January 2020, the University of Ottawa launched a fundraiser for a new scholarship in honour of three international students – Mehraban Badiei Ardestani, Saeed Kadkhodazadeh Kashani and Oladi – who lost their lives in the tragedy.
“We continue to pursue justice, fully aware of the challenges ahead, but we will never give up,” says Bagheri.
In July 2023, the Flight PS752 case was referred to the International Court of Justice.
According to a statement publishedon Jan. 8, 2025, by the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, the Islamic Regime has increased pressure on the families of the victims around the world, particularly those living in Iran.
The Association of Families noted two clear demands in their statement this week. The first was a “request for a special review of the case in The Hague Court, considering the Islamic Republic’s behaviour toward the families.” The second was the opening of a criminal case in Canada by the RCMP and the support of the four affected countries – Canada, Britain, Ukraine and Sweden – for submitting the case to the International Criminal Court.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Member of Parliament for North Vancouver and minister of natural resources, published a statement on X on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy: “As we reflect on their legacy, we stand in solidarity with the ongoing calls for truth, justice, and accountability. Together, we honour their memories.”
The song that Oladi sang was also performed by Nika Shakarami, a young Iranian protester who was killed during the Women, Life, Freedom movement of 2022-23 in Iran. It is an old Iranian love song from the 1968 film Soltane Ghalbha. Evidence suggests Shakarami was killed by men working for Iran’s security forces. She was 16 when she died.
During Iran’s Women, Life, Freedom movement, at least 537 people were killed, and 22,000 were arrested in a regime crackdown. The protests began after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in custody on Sept. 16, 2022, following her arrest by Tehran’s morality police for allegedly violating dress codes.
“The regime does not value human lives,” says Maryam Zarei. She has first-hand knowledge – her daughters, 30-year-old Masoumeh and 20-year-old Mahdieh Ghavi, were both on Flight PS752.
Hamid Jafari is a Vancouver-based freelance journalist who writes about the Iranian community in Canada, art, culture, and social media trends. He has done two placements with the North Shore News that were supported by New Canadian Media. [email protected]
