Iran's judiciary has announced the arrests of an unspecified number of
suspects in the accidental downing of a commercial passenger jet during a
major confrontation with the United States last week.
In
comments carried by state media, spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said on
Tuesday that "extensive investigations have taken place and some
individuals are arrested". He did not offer additional details.
Wednesday's
downing of the Ukrainian airliner, en route to Kyiv from Tehran, killed
all 176 passengers and crew on board. It happened just hours after Iran
launched missile attacks on US targets in Iraq in retaliation for the
US assassination of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on
January 3.
After days of denials, Iran on Saturday admitted that
its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had shot down the plane in
a "disastrous mistake", saying air defences were fired in error while
on alert after the attacks against two Iraqi bases hosting US troops. US
President Donald Trump had previously threatened to strike 52 targets
within Iran if Tehran targeted US citizens or assets following
Soleimani's killing.
Iran's acknowledgement of the shootdown and
the lack of transparency around it triggered protests in Tehran and
elsewhere, with hundreds of people taking to the streets to direct their
ire towards senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, amid allegations of being misled.
Videos posted on
social media that could not be verified immediately appeared to show
security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse
protesters. The government has denied a cover-up and police rejected
reports that it had opened fire at demonstrators.
Rouhani calls for special court
In
a televised address on Tuesday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani
promised a thorough investigation into the "unforgivable error" of
shooting down the plane, the latest in a series of apologies from a
leadership grappling with public anger.
Rouhani called for a special court to be set up with a ranking judge and dozens of experts to investigate the "tragic event".
"This
is not an ordinary case. The entire world will be watching this court,"
Rouhani said, adding that everyone responsible in the accident must be
punished.
"For our people, it is very important in this incident
that whoever was at fault or negligent at any level" faces justice,
Rouhani said. "Anyone who should be punished must be punished."
The president called the government's admission that Iranian forces shot down the plane the "first good step".
"We
should assure people that it will not happen again," Rouhani said,
adding that his government was "accountable to Iranian and other nations
who lost lives in the plane crash".
Al Jazeera's Assed Baig,
reporting from Tehran, said Rouhani's comments were "a watershed moment
in this country because people aren't used to the military and state
institutions taking state responsibility and accepting that they are
wrong".
Baig added that Rouhani mentioned that the downing of the
plane was not the fault of just one person operating the air defence
system - rather, there were many issues involved.
"He also said
that ultimately it's the US that's responsible for the heightened level
of tension, again referring to Trump's threat to target 52 sites but
added that this isn't an excuse for the military and other people," Baig
said.
Most of those on board the flight were Iranians or dual
nationals. Canada, Ukraine, Britain and other nations who had citizens
on the plane have scheduled a meeting on Thursday in London to consider
legal action against Tehran.
0 Comments