Reactions to the Court Verdict for the Accused in the Downing of the Ukrainian Plane: The Punishment for Writing is Heavier than Killing

Reactions to the court verdict for the defendants in the downing of the Ukrainian plane: the punishment for writing is heavier than for killing

After the verdict of the Iranian military court for the defendants in the downing of the Ukrainian plane, a number of journalists and political and legal activists called the ruling unjust and compared it to the heavy sentences for protesters and journalists.

Yesterday, the Tehran military court issued the verdict for the defendants in the case of the downing of the Ukrainian plane after about three years of proceedings. According to this verdict, the main defendant in the case was sentenced to 13 years in prison, of which 10 years are enforceable.

Yashar Soltani, a journalist, is one of the users who reacted to this verdict by writing that the punishment for the unintentional killing of 176 people for the main defendants is not as severe as criticizing a lower-level official. In this system, the punishment for writing is heavier than for killing.

Parastoo Forouhar, a civil activist, also wrote that this verdict will not tire anyone from seeking justice.

Another user wrote that justice in the Islamic Republic system means you can kill passengers on a plane and be sentenced to prison, but if you set a trash can on fire, you’ll be hanged.