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Flight 752: Iran's admission and its aftermath
Summary
A look back at the days after Iran acknowledged shooting down a Ukrainian airliner, as 17 January 2020 approached.
What had Iran admitted by 17 January 2020, and what followed from it? The reports in the days before that date gave a clear outline.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, a Boeing 737-800 on a scheduled route from Tehran to Kyiv, was shot down shortly after takeoff on 8 January 2020. All 176 people on board were killed.
On 11 January 2020, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps admitted it had mistakenly shot down the aircraft. The same day, the President of Iran officially acknowledged that the country's armed forces had downed the plane with a missile by mistake, near Tehran.
Vigils turn to protests
Vigils held in Iran for the victims subsequently turned into protests. According to videos posted on Twitter, hundreds of protesters in Tehran called for the resignation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
British ambassador detained
Also on 11 January 2020, the British ambassador to Iran, Robert Macaire, was arrested during the demonstrations. According to the BBC, he had attended a vigil and then had his hair cut. Tasnim News Agency reported that he was held on suspicion of organising, provoking and directing radical actions. The UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said the arrest was a flagrant violation of international law. Macaire was released more than an hour later.
