Some 30 People Arrested In Protests Across Iran - Official

Approximately 30 people were detained during recent protests in Iran that were triggered by the nation's government admitting to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian plane last week, Gholam Hossein Esmaili, the spokesman for the country's judiciary, said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2020) Approximately 30 people were detained during recent protests in Iran that were triggered by the nation's government admitting to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian plane last week, Gholam Hossein Esmaili, the spokesman for the country's judiciary, said on Tuesday.

Hundreds of students gathered on Saturday outside Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran to commemorate those killed in the fatal crash. The gathering, which was not approved by the authorities, resulted in a rally where people started demanding the resignation and prosecution of those responsible.

"During the latest events there have been arrests, but I do not have information on exactly how many were arrested. According to preliminary information, there are about 30 people," Esmaili said, as quoted by Iran's Tasnim news agency.

He added that a number of individuals had already been released after court proceedings. He also said that apart from the UK ambassador, no foreigners were seen among the protesters.

UK Ambassador to Iran Rob Macaire was reported to have been briefly detained for allegedly organizing, inciting, and participating in protests in Tehran. He was summoned by the Iranian Foreign Ministry the next day to be reminded that the ambassador's presence at illegal gatherings went against his duties.

On Wednesday, it was reported that a Kiev-bound passenger aircraft had crashed soon after departing from Iran's Imam Khomeini Airport, leaving no survivors. On Saturday, the Iranian military admitted to unintentionally shooting down the jetliner, having confused it with a hostile cruise missile in anticipation of a US attack.