Families of those killed in the downing of Flight PS752 gathered at the crash site in Shahedshahr, Tehran Province, on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy under the slogan "Never Forget, Never Forgive."
Satellite internet usage in the country increased 20-fold in 2024 with over 30,000 unique users contributing to the surge, the head of the Internet and Infrastructure Committee at the E-Commerce Association Pouya Pirhosseinlou said.
"Over 30,000 unique users are utilizing satellite internet, suggesting that the total number of satellite internet users exceeds 100,000," he told news agency ILNA. "This indicates that we will likely witness further growth in the use of this technology in the country in the future."
The primary appeal of Starlink lies in its unrestricted free access and high speed, two features largely absent in Iran, which ranks near the bottom of the global Internet Freedom Index.
Starlink gained prominence in Iran following the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, which erupted after the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in morality police custody for hijab.
The government responded to the demonstrations with internet blackouts and extensive filtering, prompting many Iranians to turn to satellite services like Starlink for unrestricted online access.
In December, Forbes estimated that 20,000 Iranians were using Starlink despite its official prohibition.
Now, with over 100,000 users, the service has become a critical tool for bypassing censorship and government-imposed disruptions.
The US government’s decision to lift certain export restrictions on internet services to Iran in 2022 enabled billionaire Elon Musk-owned SpaceX to provide Starlink access in the region.
Starlink is prohibited in Iran. Government censors have blocked access to apps such as Telegram, Instagram and X as well, and authorities frequently arrest individuals for online statements deemed anti-Islamic or critical of the Islamic Republic.
Pirhosseinlou acknowledged the benefits of satellite internet but warned of its economic impact: “Using Starlink is the most expensive method of internet access, which disrupts the communications economy, drains hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign currency from the country and diminishes hope for domestic improvements to internet services.”
Despite the high costs, the growing adoption of Starlink reflects dissatisfaction with local alternatives, including Iran’s government-controlled fiber-optic internet.
Meanwhile, Iran's government has lobbied the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to exclude the country from satellite internet coverage. Efforts to curb Starlink's influence highlight its role as a contentious element in Iran's ongoing struggle between state control and digital freedom.
The rights organization Freedom House ranked Iran as having the world’s third most restrictive internet environment, criticizing the Islamic Republic for criminalizing online dissent in an effort to increase voter turnout and legitimize presidential polls.
"(Authorities) criminalized any content that encouraged election boycotts or protests, or that criticized candidates ... (for) higher voter turnout to make the election seem legitimate, despite the arbitrary disqualification of most candidates," the group said in a report in October.
The expanding reach of Starlink represents a shift in Iran's internet landscape, offering a lifeline for those seeking unrestricted online access amidst heightened governmental control and censorship.
The Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down by missiles from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on January 8, 2020, shortly after takeoff, killing all 176 people onboard, including the crew.
For three days after the incident, authorities concealed the fact that the plane had been shot down, repeatedly claiming the crash was an accident.
Masoud Ebrahim, whose daughter Niloufar was one of the victims, began his speech with the phrase “Woman, Life, Freedom” and honored “all those who have lost their lives and suffered oppression over the past 46 years.”
He said, “We didn’t know that everyone in [Khamenei’s] circle had gathered to decide to down the plane.”
Families brought items belonging to their loved ones to the site to honor their memories, videos of the gathering shared by the Association of Families of PS752 Victims.
Memorial ceremonies for the victims were also held in multiple countries, including Canada and Sweden, as they have been every year since the tragedy.
The families' association released a statement Tuesday on X, referring to "the great injustice that continues".
"Five years of crime, five years of lies, five years of repression, five years of longing, five years of standing firm, five years of reminding, and five years of the burning flame of anger that will not subside," the group said.
Legal battle continues
Lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, representing several victims’ families, criticized how Iranian judicial authorities handled the case. Speaking to Iran’s Didban news, he said the families were denied access to the plane’s wreckage and the full legal case file.
In April 2023, a Tehran military court sentenced the missile operator responsible for downing the plane to 13 years in prison and ordered him to pay compensation. During the investigation, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the IRGC Aerospace Commander, was summoned as a suspect but was cleared of charges.
According to Tabatabai, Hossein Salami, the IRGC Commander-in-Chief, said in Iran’s parliament that “national interests required this missile strike.”
Tabatabai said that during the trial, a prosecutor’s representative told some families, “We did it, and it was the right thing to do.”
While 10 people were convicted in connection with the case, many families felt the process lacked transparency and withdrew their complaints. However, some, including Mohsen Asadi Lari and his wife, continued to appeal the ruling.
The Supreme Court reviewed the case and identified 12 flaws in the decision, returning it to the First Military Court for retrial. However, Tabatabai said, “Six months have passed, and no further action has been taken.”
He added, “We are following up regularly, but the court keeps delaying, saying ‘today or tomorrow,’ and we are waiting for the trial to restart in the First Military Court".
Military courts in Iran operate under the Judiciary Organization of the Armed Forces, a specialized branch of the judicial system for handling cases involving military personnel. The organization includes its own prosecutor’s office and specialized courts to oversee cases within its jurisdiction.
International actions
The four affected countries—Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK— have filed a formal complaint with the International Court of Justice and also the International Civil Aviation Organization against Iran. The complaints allege that the downing of the plane was deliberate.
"In the coming months, we envisage the response of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the convening of an initial session at the International Court of Justice (The Hague), and we hope the path of truth-finding will be properly followed," the families' association's statement read.
Flight PS752 was downed during a period of heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, following Iran's missile attack on US military bases in Iraq.
The missile attack was carried out in retaliation for the US killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad just days earlier.
