The People of Islamic Republic of Iran are demanding the Supreme Leader of Iran – Ali Khamenei to step down for shooting down the Ukrainian Flight PS752.
The People of Islamic Republic of Iran came to streets on Saturday, i.e., 11, January, 2020, demanding the Supreme Leader of Iran – Ali Khamenei to step down, after Iran admitted mistakenly shooting down the Ukrainian Flight PS752.
Prior to this, Iran’s General Staff of Armed Forces had said on a State-run Press TV that the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 was brought down by an Iranian missile, killing all the 167 passengers and 9 crew members on board. After initially denying involvement, Iran finally admitted shooting down PS752 citing human error as the reason for the shooting.
Thousands of Iranian gathered outside the gates of Amir Kabir University, close to Former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, to condemn the downing of PS752.
During the protest, the mob demanded that those responsible for the so called “human error” should be prosecuted. Blaming Ali Khamenei for the tragedy, they shouted slogans like, “Death to the Dictator” and “Khamenei have shame. Leave the country.”
Boeing 737, a jetliner, operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran during take-off just hours after Iran launched the missiles. The plane crash happened hours after Iran launched missiles at Airbases of Al-Assad and Ebril in Iraq, housing U.S. troops, to avenge the killing of Major General of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – Qasem Soleimani by the U.S.
Addressing a Press Conference, the Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force – Brigadier-General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said he had requested all commercial flights in Iran to be grounded until tensions eased off. But the Armed Forces, Government and aviation authorities paid no heed to his request.
He also added that the Air Defence Operator misidentified the plane as a cruise missile. The Air Defence Operator was unable to contact the Central Air Defense Command. Hence, he had 10 seconds to decide whether to shoot PS 752 or not.
Accepting responsibility, Hajizadeh said, “I wish I was dead.”
Reacting to protests in Iran, the President of United States (U.S.) – Donald Trump tweeted, “The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There cannot be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching.”
The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
He also tweeted, “To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage.”
To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
A statement from the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office said it is investigating the incident as a possible case of “willful killing and aircraft destruction.” It further read that Iran’s acceptance of the incident, changed the scope of investigation to “liability for the willful killing of two or more people and the destruction of the aircraft.”
Taking to twitter, the President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted, “Talked to @HassanRouhani. Acknowledging plane shot down is a step in the right direction. I insist on immediately completing identification of the bodies & their return to Ukraine. The perpetrators must be held accountable. We look forward to further legal & technical cooperation.”
Talked to @HassanRouhani. Acknowledging plane shot down is a step in the right direction. I insist on immediately completing identification of the bodies & their return to Ukraine. The perpetrators must be held accountable. We look forward to further legal & technical cooperation
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 11, 2020
Prior to this, he had tweeted, “This morning brings the truth. Ukraine insists on a full admission of guilt. We expect Iran to bring those responsible to justice, return the bodies, pay compensation and issue an official apology. The investigation must be full, open & continue without delays or obstacles.”
This morning brings the truth.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 11, 2020
Ukraine insists on a full admission of guilt. We expect Iran to bring those responsible to justice, return the bodies, pay compensation and issue an official apology. The investigation must be full, open & continue without delays or obstacles.
For the records, Iran has the black boxes in its possession. It is yet to examine the information in the black boxes. Besides, the Foreign Minister of Canada – Francois-Philippe Champagne had said that Canada is waiting for visa grant to 10 of its officials so that they can visit the site and investigate the matter. The crashed plane included 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians.
