RFE/RLSun, 12 Jan 2020 10:37 UTC
© AFP / Atta KenareProtesters rally in front of the Amirkabir University in Tehran, on January 11, 2020.
Britain's ambassador to Tehran has said he was detained briefly by Iranian authorities as he attended a vigil for the victims of last week's crash of a Ukrainian passenger jet.
Iran's Mehr news agency said Rob Macaire was arrested on January 11 for his alleged "involvement in provoking suspicious acts" at the gathering in front of Tehran's Amir Kabir University.
Students held a gathering at the school after Iran said the Ukrainian airliner was downed by mistake by Iranian antiaircraft missiles.
In a post to
Twitter January 12, Macaire said he attended the event to pay respects to the victims, and was not attending any demonstration.
The British Foreign Ministry called Macaire's detention "a flagrant violation of international law."
"The Iranian government is at a crossroads moment. It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards," the ministry
said.
Iranian officials did not immediately make any statement about the incident.
More protests were expected later on January 12, amid building outrage among some Iranians about the downing of the Ukrainian jet.
Comment: RT
reports:
The diplomat was among a group of people detained while seeking to "to organize, instigate and direct some radical and destructive actions," according to the Tehran-based news agency. He was released several hours later, but will reportedly be summoned on Sunday for further questioning.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the incident with the British diplomat a "flagrant violation of international law," insisting that Macaire was detained without any "grounds or explanation" for simply taking photos of a peaceful rally. Tehran has yet to issue official comments.
Hundreds of people flocked to universities in Iran earlier on Saturday for vigils and protests after Tehran admitted to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian plane with 176 on board, many of whom were Iranian students.
While many brought flowers and candles, some groups blocked roads and carried banners, chanting anti-government slogans that "apologies and resignations" were not enough, demanding "prosecutions and constitutional changes."
In the evening, security forces deployed tear gas and water cannon to disperse an agitated crowd that was still chanting slogans outside Amirkabir University of Technology, videos shared online show. An unspecified number of activists were detained, the British envoy allegedly among them.
The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces admitted that Flight 752 was shot down on Wednesday due to human error, on the day that Tehran was responding to the US assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.
Offering his condolences to the victims' families, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani apologized for the "disastrous mistake" on behalf of Iran, fully acknowledging that the tragedy was caused by the erroneous actions of his country's military.
Trump tweets in Farsi that the courage of the protesters is 'inspiring' - imagine if an a leader of another country did the same to the US, there would be outrage:
'Your courage is inspiring!' Trump tweets in FARSI, backing Iranian protesters against Tehran govt
US President Donald Trump has appealed directly to the protesters in the streets of Iran, wading into the grief and fueling anti-government discontent, after Tehran admitted to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian jet.
"To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage," Trump wrote both in English and Farsi, addressing the protesters in Iran.
"The world is watching," Trump said in a separate tweet, warning the government of Iran against "another massacre of peaceful protesters" and demanding it "allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's meddling in Iran's domestic affairs was even more blatant, stopping just short of an open call for a regime change. "The voice of the Iranian people is clear," Pompeo stated, tweeting out footage of the protest in Iran.
More
details emerge surrounding the ambassador's arrest and subsequent summons to the Iranian Foreign Ministry:
The UK envoy's detention during an anti-government rally in Tehran has sparked a diplomatic scandal. The envoy, summoned on Sunday by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, says he was at a "vigil" for victims of the Ukrainian plane crash.
"Today, Rob Macaire was summoned because of his unconventional behavior of attending an illegal rally on Saturday," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It also demanded that the British government provide clarification on the matter.
The diplomat was briefly detained late on Saturday outside of Amirkabir University in Tehran, as part of a group of people attending a chaotic vigil - held for the victims of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crash - which turned into an anti-government rally. According to Iranian state media, the official was seeking "to organize, instigate and direct some radical and destructive actions."
The ambassador, however, maintains that he was only seeking to attend the vigil. The Ukrainian plane was accidentally downed by Iranian air defenses on Wednesday after the passenger jet was mistaken for an incoming cruise missile.
"Thanks for the many goodwill messages. Can confirm I wasn't taking part in any demonstrations! Went to an event advertised as a vigil for victims of #PS752 tragedy," the diplomat tweeted earlier on Sunday, insisting that he was detained half an hour after he left the event.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the incident a "flagrant violation of international law," insisting that Macaire was detained without any "grounds or explanation." Commenting on the issue, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called for "de-escalation and space for diplomacy".
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the British ambassador was arrested "because of his participation in an illegal gathering," but he was released "due to his diplomatic immunity and after confirming his identity". The country´s Deputy FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi explained in a tweet that he was deeply surprised the arrested man turned to be the UK ambassador.
Meanwhile, Macaire's participation in the rally - whatever his true motive - prompted an angry reaction from the Basij militia. The militia - which is subordinate to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - staged a rally outside the UK embassy and, according to local media, demanded its closure.
It wouldn't be the first time that Western foreign agents were involved in encouraging discord amongst the local population:
UPDATE: Monday 13th January The UK has summoned the Iranian ambassador in
response:
The Foreign Office has summoned the Iranian ambassador to express its "strong objections" over the brief detention of his UK counterpart in Tehran who was nabbed by law enforcement when he took part in an "illegal rally."
In the ongoing diplomatic spat, London summoned Ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad in an apparent tit-for-tat move. UK envoy Rob Macaire was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday over his "unconventional behavior."
"This was an unacceptable breach of the Vienna Convention and it needs to be investigated," the Foreign Office said on Monday. "We are seeking full assurances from the Iranian government that this will never happen again."
The scandal broke out after the brief detention of Macaire on Saturday during a vigil for victims of the Ukrainian plane downing, which turned into a large protest. Iran's deputy FM, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said the detention came as a "big surprise" for him and that the envoy was released immediately after his identity was confirmed. The UK envoy, however, received objections from the Iranian authorities over his participation in the rally, while local media reports indicate he was believed to have actually been directing the protesters.
UPDATE 14 JanOn the night of his arrest, the UK ambassador actually said he was hanging around the university because he... "went to get a haircut."
Can't help but wonder if the impeachment knife at his neck has anything to do with this.
I think Pelosi and McConnell tag-teamed him for the war party--get with the agenda or you're out and we'll go with Pence (there's no difference between the parties--they are both on board with the war party and regime change agenda)