Ukranian Plane Crash
On January 8th, a Ukranian plane crashed with 176 passengers on board. The passengers on the aircraft were from five different countries: the Ukraine, Sweden, Canada, Great Britain, and Afghanistan, along with some Iranians. Eleven Ukrainians, seventeen Swedes, fifty-seven Canadians, four Afghanistan citizens, and some British and Iranian citizens were killed. The plane was heading for Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv. There was some speculation that Iran was responsible for the crash amid the tension between the United States and Iran.
Iran reported that “human error” was the cause of the plane crash, insisting that it was a mistake. At first, Iran said the plane took a turn that brought it close to a military base, which is why they sent a short-range missile out. However, they then retracted their statement, saying that the mistake was made by one of Iran’s military members. Iran’s foreign minister stated in a tweet, that “human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism” led to the disaster.
Many Iranians began protesting in the streets of Iran following the crash. Some protests turned violent, with Iranian police turning to tear gas and water cannons to subdue the crowd. Iranians and many other national governments have accused Iran of deceiving the public. Even Siamak Ghaesmi, an Iranian economist, said in an Instagram post “I don’t know what to do with my rage and grief. I’m thinking of all the ‘human errors’ in these years that were never revealed because there was no international pressure. I’m thinking of the little trust left that was shattered. I’m thinking of the innocent lives lost because of confronting and being stubborn with the world. What have you done with us?”
Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, offered compensation to the plane victims’ families. Trudeau reported that he wanted Iranian officials to compensate the families for their mistake. The Canada government has provided each family with $19,000 for funeral and travel costs. On January 11th, President Trump released the following tweet in response to the tragedy: “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.”
Iran said that they will hold the military members who made the mistake responsible, and upgrade their military equipment to prevent mistakes like this in the future. Amirali Hajizadeh, an Iranian commander, took responsibility for the “human error.” He said that he will accept any verdict that Iran decides on with ‘arms open’.
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