The Iranian regime confirmed it has shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, a Boeing 737–800, en route from Tehran International Airport to Kyiv with an anti-aircraft missile on Wednesday.
The Iranian regime confirmed its crime after three consecutive days of lying. It had stated earlier that the plane crashed due to some technical issues. This bogus claim was rejected immediately by heads of states, including those of the United States and Canada, the latter having dozens of its citizens among the victims.
U.S. Confirms #Iran Regime’s Role in Shooting Down Ukrainian Airplane https://t.co/kdpHeStIVL#IranPlaneCrash#FreeIran2020
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 10, 2020
On January 9, before the regime admitted to its crime of shooting down the passenger jet under international pressure, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) while offering her condolences to the families of the passengers of the Ukrainian airliner, had affirmed that the passenger jet was shot down by the Iranian regime’s missile.
Mrs. Rajavi added: “Khamenei, enraged and demoralized over the elimination of Qassem Soleimani, cannot challenge the United States, but has free reins in shooting at the people of Iran in the air and on the ground and takes revenge on the Iranian people. He is now threatening the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK) in Albania.”
Ali Khamenei cannot confront the U.S. but finds an open hand in targeting and firing at the people of Iran on the ground and in air. Instead of the U.S., Khamenei took revenge from the people of #Iran, and now, it is making threats against the PMOI/MEK in Albania
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 9, 2020
Fearing the exposure of this fiasco, the regime had announced that it will not hand over the black boxes, which determine the cause of the crash, to Boeing, the plane’s manufacturer.
On Thursday, the regime first denied that the Ukrainian airliner had been hit by a missile. “All these reports are psychological warfare against Iran. … The United States is making the pain of the families worse,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a statement, according to state TV.
Now as more evidence, such as a video showing a missile exploding near the passenger jet, emerges and confirms the Iranian regime committed this crime on purpose, regime officials have been forced to admit to their crime, saying this was a mistake.
The Iranian regime, within the last 40 years, has committed various crimes yet it has later denied them or tried to minimize them.
According to reports obtained by the main Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (Mujahedin-e-Khalq, PMOI or MEK), the Iranian regime had at least killed 1500 protesters during the nationwide Iran protests in November. This number was confirmed by Reuters in an exclusive report in late December. During the Iran protests, the Iranian regime imposed a complete internet blackout to conceal the dimensions of its crimes and so far, it has not announced the number of killed and jailed protesters.
In the summer of 1988, the regime massacred over 30,000 political prisoners, who were mostly the MEK’s members and supporters. Yet, the regime has tried to conceal this massacre and has not given the location of the victims’ graves to their family members, and if was not because of the MEK’s and Mrs. Rajavi’s campaign and revelations, the regime could have been able to successfully deny committing this crime against humanity.
In addition, the regime’s so-called diplomat, Assadolah Assadi and three other terrorists were arrested in June 2018, while trying to bomb the NCRI’s annual “Free Iran” gathering in Paris. The Iranian regime and its apologists tried to shift the blame on some “rogue elements” within the regime and later blamed the MEK and the NCRI.
Given the regime’s history of concealing of its crimes, it is necessary for the International community to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Iran and to hold top regime officials, including the regime’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and President Hassan Rouhani, accountable.
Hassan Rouhani's advisor threatens the media not to participate in the psychological warfare about #UkrainPlaneCrash#FreeIran2020 pic.twitter.com/ManX7Kz7fj
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 11, 2020
Mrs. Rajavi said in a tweet: “The regime had given advance warning about its missile attack on American bases to the Iraqi government & its military & through them to the US. But did not issue any advance notice to our compatriots & did not cancel passenger flights in Iran.”
“Regime’s forced admission to shooting down the Ukrainian airliner that killed all the passengers is another great crime, which the Iranian people will neither forgive nor forget Ukrainian Plane in Iran,” she added.
The regime had given advance warning about its missile attack on American bases to the Iraqi government & its military & through them to the US. But did not issue any advance notice to our compatriots & did not cancel passenger flights #Iran
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 11, 2020
