This archive report was first published on 11 January 2020.
On January 11, 2020, Iran's government admitted that the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane was a 'disastrous mistake', sparking widespread anger among Iranians.
Even conservative supporters of the government accused the authorities of intentionally misleading the public about the incident, which killed many young Iranians on their way to Canada for graduate study.
The semiofficial Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, condemned Iran's leaders, saying their shortcomings made the tragedy 'twice as bitter'.
"It is pivotal that those who were hiding the truth from the public for the past 72 hours be held accountable, we cannot let this go," the agency stated.
Iranian economist Siamak Ghaesmi expressed his rage and grief on Instagram, saying he was thinking of all the 'human errors' in recent years that were never revealed due to lack of international pressure.
Conservative analyst Mohamad Saeed Ahadian said on Twitter that firing at an airplane was one thing, but firing at the public's trust was a mistake with no justification.
