New-found cannabis compound 30 times more potent than THC
Two new-found cannabinoids have been discovered in the glands of the Cannabis plant, and one of them may be at least 30 times more potent as the high-inducing compound THC.
While Cannabis sativa has over 400 known compounds, only one, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC is known to produce a high in humans. At least that has been the case - until recently when a group of Italian researchers announced on December 30th the discovery of two new cannabinoids found in C. sativa.
One of the compounds is a THC-lookalike, so much so that they named it tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP). It appears to interact with the same receptor as THC, the receptor known as CB1, according to the new study published on December 30, 2019, in the journal Scientific Reports. The CB1 receptors Interestingly, the key differences between THC and the new-found chemical THCP lie in the chain of atoms jutting off the new compound. Research done in 2016 suggests that this side-chain of atoms, called an alkyl side chain, is what allows THC to "plug-in" to its preferred receptor in the body. A cannabinoid must have at least three carbon rings in its side-chain in order to hook up to the CB1 receptor. THC compounds contain five carbon rings. Calculations on paper suggested that a compound with more than five carbon rings would fit even more tightly to the CB1 receptor. Further calculations determined that if the compound had eight carbon rings, it would fit perfectly into the CB1 receptor, thereby eliciting the strongest biological response. However, the authors say there is no known compound with those perfect attributes in nature.
Along comes THCP
The researchers found that THCP has not five - but seven carbon rings in its alkyl side chain. Tested in a Petri dish using a concocted receptor, the THCP compound tended to bind the substance 30 times more reliably than THC did. The THCP compound was then tested on lab mice, although in relatively low doses. The mice behaved as though they were on THC, with slower movement, lower body temperatures and reaction times slowed. The study said it would have taken twice the dose of THC to induce the same effects. Whether or not the new compound would have the same effects in humans as it did in the lab mice is unknown. But as Vice.com suggests, this could explain why smoking different marijuana blends can give notably different effects. And while THC offers some medicinal effects, including pain and nausea relief, no one knows if THCP has these qualities CBD lookalike also found The research team also found a CBD lookalike with seven carbon rings, calling it cannabidiphorol (CBDP). This compound doesn't bind strongly with the CB1 or its related receptor, CB2. While CBD has been tied to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-seizure effects, investigating these effects in CBDP "does not appear to be a high priority," the authors wrote. More about cannabis, thc, tetrahydrocannabiphorol, thcp, 30 times more power | |||||
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Why Latin America's bloody protests won't die out anytime soon
FEATURE ARTICLE LONG READ
Why Latin America's bloody protests won't die out anytime soon
Eduardo Thomson, Ezra Fieser and Stephan Kueffner, Bloomberg Jan. 11, 2020
Why Latin America's bloody protests won't die out anytime soon
Eduardo Thomson, Ezra Fieser and Stephan Kueffner, Bloomberg Jan. 11, 2020
1of3A crowd gathere in the Plaza Italia in Santiago, Chile
on Oct. 21, 2019.,Photo: Bloomberg photo by CristobalOlivares.
2of3Demonstrators keep close the road during a protest
2of3Demonstrators keep close the road during a protest
in Machachi-Latacunga highway in Ecuador, on Friday,
Oct. 4, 2019.Photo: Bloomberg photo by Johis Alarcon.
3of3An indigenous woman wears a mask during a protest
in the Historic Center neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador,
on Oct. 9, 2019.Photo: Bloomberg photo by David Diaz Arcos,
It's called Italy Plaza, a vast traffic circle in the Chilean capital of Santiago. To the north and east live the country's ultra-wealthy. One way of describing those out of touch with the rest of the country's grim reality is to say they've "never been below Italy Plaza."
The spot is ground zero for furious street demonstrations that have turned Chile from Latin America's richest and stablest nation into a test case of profound social unrest. The area, which demonstrators have renamed Dignity Plaza, is coated in layers of graffiti, with most shops looted and shuttered.
The case of Chile - $2 billion in property damage, 26 dead - has shocked the investor world because it was supposed to be a regional model. But the virus of discontent was already spreading elsewhere, with streets in Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia turning into scenes of pot-banging fire-setting fury.
Numerous factors are at play. Among the most significant are economic inequality, ethnic tensions and police brutality. While the most violent protests have for now dissipated, these forces continue to gnaw away at social cohesion and could once again spark unrest unexpectedly and suddenly. Institutions and the rule of law are fragile and economies are expected to have another tough year.
Here are snapshots from Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.
Every Friday, after David Vargas completes his shift as a technician at a credit-card company in the upscale Santiago neighborhood of Nueva Las Condes he heads to nearby Italy Plaza to join the protests.
Vargas, 38, embodies Chile's socio-economic divide. He comes from a poor family and works among the well-to-do. And while he once watched the gap shrink, lately he's seen it stagnate. He was struck when he saw the difference in how the authorities treated his work neighborhood from the one where he lives.
The area around his company "was packed with soldiers," he said. "They were guarding everything when absolutely nothing had happened. But if you went downtown or to other parts of Santiago, it was pure chaos. They just guarded from Italy Plaza to the rich neighborhoods."
Vargas' father, a former factory worker, collects a monthly disability pension of just 80,000 pesos, about $100. His mother cleaned houses.
"I'm protesting mostly because of the pensions and to show solidarity because right now I have privileges that many don't have," Vargas said. "I know what it is to live in a poor neighborhood, I know what it is to wait for eight hours at public hospitals for service, I know what it means that the elderly receive extremely low pensions and don't have enough to live or to buy food."
A few blocks away is where it all began. In early October at a subway station, students plotted ticket evasions sparked by a fare increase of 30 pesos. They coordinated on social networks and dangled their feet over the tracks to force trains to stop. Things got nasty, fast. Police special forces clashed with the protesters, and groups set dozens of stations on fire.
Stunned, the government declared a state of emergency and a curfew, sending the army to the streets. Protests morphed into the biggest social unrest since at least the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s and 1980s. They were now against every injustice imaginable: low pensions, school debts, health services, public education, police brutality, women's rights, even replacing the Pinochet-era constitution, which President Sebastian Pinera has agreed to in an attempt to calm the situation.
The message was clear. The neglected middle class in South America's richest country was very mad. It was a taste of the frustration of similar populations across the region in recent years.
Paulina Astroza, professor of political science at Chile's Universidad de Concepcion, said Chile's economic model worked when commodity prices were soaring but has failed since.
"The issue is distrust of the political class, of the church, even of union and labor leaders," she said. "There has to be a change in the model for more wealth redistribution or the grotesque inequality and the discontent will continue. If we want to avoid other unrest movements in one, two or even five years, we have to see a redistribution of power."
- - -
Dilan Cruz wasn't much for politics. An 18-year-old with a broad smile and a big group of friends, Cruz joined Colombia's anti-government demonstrations in late November to protest for more funding for education.
"He believed he could get ahead if he could get a chance to study," said Alexa Beltran, a close friend. He was about to graduate high school and planned to study business administration, she said.
Cruz was killed by riot-control police at one of the demonstrations. His death was a flash point and an example of aggressive police tactics that have inflamed protests in countries across the Andes.
Dozens of demonstrators have been killed and thousands injured by state forces from Bogota to Santiago. The violence has been most prominent in Chile, where thousands have been hurt, including more than 200 who sustained eye injuries from the use of pellet shotguns by authorities, according to human-rights groups.
"There are similarities in the way the police units are behaving," said Silvia Otero Bahamon, a professor at Universidad del Rosario in Bogota who studies inequality and political violence.
Dictatorship, war and high levels of violence in the past have led to heavily militarized police forces. Abuses are common. Colombians, who lived through decades of armed conflict, have become so accustomed to them that few of the more than 40 killings of demonstrators by anti-riot police in the last two decades have been investigated, Otero Bahamon said.
"Repression of protest by police is common in Colombia," she said. "That's why what's happened with Dilan Cruz has been surprising."
Cruz's death sparked fresh protests and anger. Marchers carried signs bearing his likeness and broke out into spontaneous chants of "Dilan didn't die, he was murdered." Protest leaders are demanding the government dismantle the national police's Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron, known by its Spanish acronym ESMAD.
President Ivan Duque has ruled out such a move. Cruz's death is under investigation by the attorney general's office.
Sometimes provoked but other times not, ESMAD agents have been seen clubbing protesters, kicking a woman in the face and casually tossing tear gas into peaceful demonstrations.
Cruz came from a broken home; his father died years ago and his mother was in jail. He lived with his older sister in a hardscrabble neighborhood, taking day jobs selling fast food. He'd joined a few peaceful protests in the past, but none of them compared with the demonstrations that shook Colombia starting on Nov. 21, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets in a broad-based rejection of government policies.
Two days after the protests began, Cruz was on the street. He picked up a teargas canister, threw it at anti-riot police and ran, video footage from cellphones and street cameras shows. An officer shot a projectile, hitting Cruz in the head.
Cruz collapsed in front of an internet cafe on a normally busy commercial street. Two days later, he died in a hospital. His sister Denis attended his graduation ceremony in his place. In a video she posted, she said, "No more violence. Dialogue and love will always be our best weapons."
- - -
When President Lenin Moreno of Ecuador announced the end of gasoline and diesel subsidies in October to comply with an International Monetary Fund program, the reaction was so violent that he fled the capital, Quito, and moved the government to the coastal business center of Guayaquil. At the heart of the protests were indigenous tribal groups, among the most affected.
Round-the-clock roadblocks, achieved by felling trees, burning tires and rolling boulders, paralyzed large areas. Some ransacked flower plantations and farms. Others caused $140 million in damage by sabotaging oil production. Looting and street riots culminated in the arson of the Office of the Comptroller General and several deaths, leading Moreno to repeal his decree. The indigenous umbrella group CONAIE called off the demonstrations. The government is back in Quito. But tension remains high.
Jaime Vargas is a 40-year-old indigenous leader who wears a necklace ending in a jaguar's tooth he said he pulled from a live cat himself, along with a brightly feathered crown typical in swathes of the Amazon where he is from. "People have been carrying a heavy load. Of the violence, there are justifications," he said.
The indigenous, who make up about 10%-20% of the country's 17 million inhabitants by various estimates, mirror the marginalized poor across South America. Their cultures are as diverse as their homelands, ranging from sweltering rain forests to icy, windswept mountains capped with receding glaciers. Some came into contact with Western civilization only when the oil industry showed up in the 1960s and 1970s, while most descend from people who fought both invading Incas and Spanish conquistadors hundreds of years ago.
Many have moved to urban areas for education and jobs, only to find both elusive. They live in marginal areas, exposed to crime, drugs and prostitution.
CONAIE leaders, wearing traditional ponchos and felt hats and carrying hardwood spears, have toppled several elected governments in Ecuador in the past. Moreno has responded cautiously while trying to move the economy to more of a market orientation.
Luisa Lozano, the 43-year-old head of CONAIE's women's organization - who has already beaten back charges for her role in previous anti-government protests including blocking highways - wears a wide-brimmed black and white hat she says is a symbol of the sun worshiped as a deity before the Spaniards arrived.
"The more repression, the greater the adrenaline to resist," she said in reference to the October protests and clashes over fuel prices. "The more blood, the stronger the peoples' reaction. When it comes down to it, people will react because we know everything we've achieved has come through struggle after struggle."
It's called Italy Plaza, a vast traffic circle in the Chilean capital of Santiago. To the north and east live the country's ultra-wealthy. One way of describing those out of touch with the rest of the country's grim reality is to say they've "never been below Italy Plaza."
The spot is ground zero for furious street demonstrations that have turned Chile from Latin America's richest and stablest nation into a test case of profound social unrest. The area, which demonstrators have renamed Dignity Plaza, is coated in layers of graffiti, with most shops looted and shuttered.
The case of Chile - $2 billion in property damage, 26 dead - has shocked the investor world because it was supposed to be a regional model. But the virus of discontent was already spreading elsewhere, with streets in Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia turning into scenes of pot-banging fire-setting fury.
Numerous factors are at play. Among the most significant are economic inequality, ethnic tensions and police brutality. While the most violent protests have for now dissipated, these forces continue to gnaw away at social cohesion and could once again spark unrest unexpectedly and suddenly. Institutions and the rule of law are fragile and economies are expected to have another tough year.
Here are snapshots from Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.
Every Friday, after David Vargas completes his shift as a technician at a credit-card company in the upscale Santiago neighborhood of Nueva Las Condes he heads to nearby Italy Plaza to join the protests.
Vargas, 38, embodies Chile's socio-economic divide. He comes from a poor family and works among the well-to-do. And while he once watched the gap shrink, lately he's seen it stagnate. He was struck when he saw the difference in how the authorities treated his work neighborhood from the one where he lives.
The area around his company "was packed with soldiers," he said. "They were guarding everything when absolutely nothing had happened. But if you went downtown or to other parts of Santiago, it was pure chaos. They just guarded from Italy Plaza to the rich neighborhoods."
Vargas' father, a former factory worker, collects a monthly disability pension of just 80,000 pesos, about $100. His mother cleaned houses.
"I'm protesting mostly because of the pensions and to show solidarity because right now I have privileges that many don't have," Vargas said. "I know what it is to live in a poor neighborhood, I know what it is to wait for eight hours at public hospitals for service, I know what it means that the elderly receive extremely low pensions and don't have enough to live or to buy food."
A few blocks away is where it all began. In early October at a subway station, students plotted ticket evasions sparked by a fare increase of 30 pesos. They coordinated on social networks and dangled their feet over the tracks to force trains to stop. Things got nasty, fast. Police special forces clashed with the protesters, and groups set dozens of stations on fire.
Stunned, the government declared a state of emergency and a curfew, sending the army to the streets. Protests morphed into the biggest social unrest since at least the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s and 1980s. They were now against every injustice imaginable: low pensions, school debts, health services, public education, police brutality, women's rights, even replacing the Pinochet-era constitution, which President Sebastian Pinera has agreed to in an attempt to calm the situation.
The message was clear. The neglected middle class in South America's richest country was very mad. It was a taste of the frustration of similar populations across the region in recent years.
Paulina Astroza, professor of political science at Chile's Universidad de Concepcion, said Chile's economic model worked when commodity prices were soaring but has failed since.
"The issue is distrust of the political class, of the church, even of union and labor leaders," she said. "There has to be a change in the model for more wealth redistribution or the grotesque inequality and the discontent will continue. If we want to avoid other unrest movements in one, two or even five years, we have to see a redistribution of power."
- - -
Dilan Cruz wasn't much for politics. An 18-year-old with a broad smile and a big group of friends, Cruz joined Colombia's anti-government demonstrations in late November to protest for more funding for education.
"He believed he could get ahead if he could get a chance to study," said Alexa Beltran, a close friend. He was about to graduate high school and planned to study business administration, she said.
Cruz was killed by riot-control police at one of the demonstrations. His death was a flash point and an example of aggressive police tactics that have inflamed protests in countries across the Andes.
Dozens of demonstrators have been killed and thousands injured by state forces from Bogota to Santiago. The violence has been most prominent in Chile, where thousands have been hurt, including more than 200 who sustained eye injuries from the use of pellet shotguns by authorities, according to human-rights groups.
"There are similarities in the way the police units are behaving," said Silvia Otero Bahamon, a professor at Universidad del Rosario in Bogota who studies inequality and political violence.
Dictatorship, war and high levels of violence in the past have led to heavily militarized police forces. Abuses are common. Colombians, who lived through decades of armed conflict, have become so accustomed to them that few of the more than 40 killings of demonstrators by anti-riot police in the last two decades have been investigated, Otero Bahamon said.
"Repression of protest by police is common in Colombia," she said. "That's why what's happened with Dilan Cruz has been surprising."
Cruz's death sparked fresh protests and anger. Marchers carried signs bearing his likeness and broke out into spontaneous chants of "Dilan didn't die, he was murdered." Protest leaders are demanding the government dismantle the national police's Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron, known by its Spanish acronym ESMAD.
President Ivan Duque has ruled out such a move. Cruz's death is under investigation by the attorney general's office.
Sometimes provoked but other times not, ESMAD agents have been seen clubbing protesters, kicking a woman in the face and casually tossing tear gas into peaceful demonstrations.
Cruz came from a broken home; his father died years ago and his mother was in jail. He lived with his older sister in a hardscrabble neighborhood, taking day jobs selling fast food. He'd joined a few peaceful protests in the past, but none of them compared with the demonstrations that shook Colombia starting on Nov. 21, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets in a broad-based rejection of government policies.
Two days after the protests began, Cruz was on the street. He picked up a teargas canister, threw it at anti-riot police and ran, video footage from cellphones and street cameras shows. An officer shot a projectile, hitting Cruz in the head.
Cruz collapsed in front of an internet cafe on a normally busy commercial street. Two days later, he died in a hospital. His sister Denis attended his graduation ceremony in his place. In a video she posted, she said, "No more violence. Dialogue and love will always be our best weapons."
- - -
When President Lenin Moreno of Ecuador announced the end of gasoline and diesel subsidies in October to comply with an International Monetary Fund program, the reaction was so violent that he fled the capital, Quito, and moved the government to the coastal business center of Guayaquil. At the heart of the protests were indigenous tribal groups, among the most affected.
Round-the-clock roadblocks, achieved by felling trees, burning tires and rolling boulders, paralyzed large areas. Some ransacked flower plantations and farms. Others caused $140 million in damage by sabotaging oil production. Looting and street riots culminated in the arson of the Office of the Comptroller General and several deaths, leading Moreno to repeal his decree. The indigenous umbrella group CONAIE called off the demonstrations. The government is back in Quito. But tension remains high.
Jaime Vargas is a 40-year-old indigenous leader who wears a necklace ending in a jaguar's tooth he said he pulled from a live cat himself, along with a brightly feathered crown typical in swathes of the Amazon where he is from. "People have been carrying a heavy load. Of the violence, there are justifications," he said.
The indigenous, who make up about 10%-20% of the country's 17 million inhabitants by various estimates, mirror the marginalized poor across South America. Their cultures are as diverse as their homelands, ranging from sweltering rain forests to icy, windswept mountains capped with receding glaciers. Some came into contact with Western civilization only when the oil industry showed up in the 1960s and 1970s, while most descend from people who fought both invading Incas and Spanish conquistadors hundreds of years ago.
Many have moved to urban areas for education and jobs, only to find both elusive. They live in marginal areas, exposed to crime, drugs and prostitution.
CONAIE leaders, wearing traditional ponchos and felt hats and carrying hardwood spears, have toppled several elected governments in Ecuador in the past. Moreno has responded cautiously while trying to move the economy to more of a market orientation.
Luisa Lozano, the 43-year-old head of CONAIE's women's organization - who has already beaten back charges for her role in previous anti-government protests including blocking highways - wears a wide-brimmed black and white hat she says is a symbol of the sun worshiped as a deity before the Spaniards arrived.
"The more repression, the greater the adrenaline to resist," she said in reference to the October protests and clashes over fuel prices. "The more blood, the stronger the peoples' reaction. When it comes down to it, people will react because we know everything we've achieved has come through struggle after struggle."
---30---
Thunberg calls on Siemens to nix Australia coal mine project
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has urged supporters to put pressure on German firm Siemens over its plan to supply equipment to a coal mining operation. The firm says it has "the same goal of fighting climate change."
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Saturday urged German industrial giant Siemens AG to reconsider its plan to provide equipment to a controversial Australian coal mining operation.
As wildfires continue to ravage Australia — the world's biggest coal exporter — Thunberg urged Twitter followers to help by "pushing them to make the only right decision. #StopAdani."
Adani is the name of a new coal mine under construction in Queensland. Run by India's Adani Power, the Australian government approved the project last year. Siemens is supposed to provide part of the signalling system for the railway lines necessary for moving the coal out of the plant and to the coast.
Siemens has already been targeted by the Fridays for Future climate protests, both in the form of physical demonstrations but also some 63,000 emails asking the company to consider climate breakdown and walk back its support for the coal industry.
Florian Martini, a spokesman for Siemens, was quoted by German newspaper taz as saying "we are on the same side and have the goal of fighting climate change."
Australia is one of the world's largest carbon emitters per capita because of its reliance on coal power plants. The ferocity of this year's bushfire season — one of the most devastating in history — against the wider backdrop of climate change has raised questions about Canberra's energy policy. Some 500 million animals have been killed as 10 million hectacres of land have gone up in flames. At least 26 people haved died and thousands of homes destroyed.
The trans woman who defied her mafia upbringing
Daniela Lourdes Falanga, her family's first male heir, was expected to follow the path of her mafia boss father. She overcame a brutal Naples childhood to become a prominent transgender rights activist.
Dedicated to the cause
Daniela Lourdes Falanga, 42, is the first transgender woman to chair the Naples branch of Arcigay, the leading Italian organization for the protection of LGBT+ people and the fight against gender discrimination. She was the first son of a local mafia boss.
The narrow alleys stretching from the Obelisk of Saint Dominic are a popular image on Naples postcards. Here university students stroll along Spaccanapoli, the main street that cuts through the historic city, drinking espresso and nibbling ricotta pastries. Short, slender doors lead into the vasci, one-room, ground-floor apartments that used to be homes for the poor but are now more often shops, cellars or even restaurants. In one of them, Daniela Lourdes Falanga is taking a break after a series of hectic days.
"I've spent the whole night providing free HIV tests to everyone who asked for one," says the 42-year-old, surrounded by banners and posters from the annual Pride Parade. "The stigma associated with HIV is still strong in the transsexual community, so many avoid taking the test."
Falanga committed herself to the movement a decade ago, after a sex scandal involving a prominent Roman politician led to public outcry against the transgender community.
"I wanted the world to know that we were not monsters," Falanga says. "Transitioning gave me real freedom for the first time in my life, so I needed to spread the word."
Otherwise assertive, when she talks about the past, she trips over her words. "My family never allowed me to show off what I had inside," she says. "I was the effeminate firstborn of a Camorra family, and they always kept me in check."
Growing up in Gomorra
Falanga's father was a local boss in the organized crime syndicate rooted in the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. He abandoned the family right after Falanga was born. She grew up in poverty with her mother.
A view of Naples from Castel Sant'Elmo
As a child, named Raffaele, she was compelled to attend Sunday lunch at her grandmother's house. Her father would cuddle all the children there but her. His indifference hurt: "He treated me like an inanimate object," she says.
Her mother and grandmother scrutinized her every move, cracking down on any trait associated with femininity: no music, no singing, no watching cartoons with female protagonists. "I even feared speaking, as the tone of my voice did not fit their expectations," Falanga says. And when she failed to meet those expectations, her mother beat her.
During her adolescence, her father was arrested and disappeared. Her mother started a new relationship with another man, who was shot dead while stealing a car when Falanga was 13. By the time she was 22 and had transitioned from male to female, she had heard news of her father just once: He had sent a letter to a close cousin, prohibiting any relationship with the son he had abandoned.
Growing up in such a harsh environment helped Falanga clarify ideas about her true nature. "I owed my complete awareness about being a girl also to the violent way in which that world influenced me," she says.
The city of the femminielli
For a transgender woman like Falanga, Naples is a special place: Activists claim the city hosts the second-biggest community worldwide.
"Mythological characters, or particular social groups who break the correlation between their biological sex and a specific gender, mixing characteristics of masculinity and femininity, can be found in several cultures," explains Professor Paolo Valerio, chairperson of Italy's National Observatory on Gender Identity. "But in Naples you find a very particular kind of subjectivity called 'femminielli,' men who think of themselves and dress as women."
Paolo Valerio, chairperson of Italy's National Observatory on Gender Identity
Their presence can be traced back to 1586, when, in his book "De Humana Physiognomonia," philosopher and alchemist Giovanni Battista della Porta described "an effeminate character with scarce beard" who shied away from men and willingly took care of the kitchen.
"The femminiello, though often practicing prostitution, enjoys the recognition of the neighborhood, because they participate in the typical 'fair' economy of the alley," says Valerio. Popular culture considered the femminielli bringers of luck, and they were often charged with drawing numbers at raffles.
Due to the existence of such a deeply rooted figure, Naples has been typically considered a welcoming and tolerant city. In 2009, after police arrested a transexual woman as an affiliate of a criminal family, some commentators even suggested the local mafia was more tolerant than others.
Falanga disagrees. "Camorra members can have a fondness for transsexual women, even have important relationships with them," she says, "but the problem comes when your child is one of them."
Twenty-five years after she had last seen her father, she met him by chance at a local school, where they both had been asked to tell their stories to students. He was serving a life sentence in prison.
"You have become beautiful," he told Falanga. "And we both cried for the whole event," she says.
Family is key
Falanga is skeptical about the extent to which Neapolitan society respects transgender people, despite the femminielli. "So far, Naples has accepted a social phenomenon that involves prostitution and marginality, so transsexual women are directly associated with sex workers," she says.
Falanga works at the University of Naples Federico II counseling students as well as at a help desk for LGBT+ inmates at a local prison
These barriers to genuine acceptance condemned older generations to live as outcasts. "If your body did not fit into a binary representation of gender than you got expelled from the labor market," Falanga says.
That is why she has begun working with local businesses, such as Naples' ANM public transport company and the Mediterranean Theater, to promote a culture of equal opportunities.
But when it comes to helping a transgender teenager to live a healthy and fulfilled life, family plays a crucial role. Falanga often meets mothers and fathers of trans children in her work. The new generation shows more awareness of the distress of gender dysphoria compared to her own parents, she says. It gives her hope for the future.
"If you grow up with your dear ones close, you can build your existence with self-determination," she says. "Otherwise, this remains a complicated city to live in."
Stonewall at 50: LGBT+ activists ask 'what's next?'
It’s the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The riots and ensuing protests are credited with spurring the US gay rights movement, but five decades later, those who were there say there's more work to do. (28.06.2019)
Transgender refugees in Greece reclaim their dignity
On the back of a groundbreaking court decision, two transgender refugees have found the freedom to start a new life in Greece. Marianna Karakoulaki and Dimitris Tosidis report from Thessaloniki. (08.07.2018)
Prison blues? Italian startup gives inmates a break
Time in prison is often monotonous and tedious. An Italian startup wants to change that by experimenting with a form of democratic participation to foster social integration inside and outside. (14.09.2019)
Migrants put mafia mobsters behind bars in Palermo
Eleven shop owners who bravely took on their racketeers show that the southern Italian city's multiculturalism has had an impact on breaking down the traditional mafia methods. Ylenia Gostoli reports from Palermo. (13.06.2018)
Italian Mafia, bikers, Berlin clans: Europe's crime gangs
Organized crime is active across Europe, with groups generating over €100 million in revenue every year. Here's a list of some of the most prominent organizations. (05.12.2018)
Bangladeshi women in Italy fight for gender rights
The Bangladeshi community in Italy is the second largest in Europe. However, many women are still struggling to acclimatize, not least because of their husbands. Michele Bertelli reports from Rome. (03.08.2019)
Naples: LGBT+ activism beyond the pride parade
Naples is home to one of the world's biggest transgender communities, activists say. A grassroots movement here is fighting gender discrimination as it builds an alliance against stereotypes. (11.01.2020)
Indonesia's trans people build community in hostile world
Daniela Lourdes Falanga, her family's first male heir, was expected to follow the path of her mafia boss father. She overcame a brutal Naples childhood to become a prominent transgender rights activist.
Dedicated to the cause
Daniela Lourdes Falanga, 42, is the first transgender woman to chair the Naples branch of Arcigay, the leading Italian organization for the protection of LGBT+ people and the fight against gender discrimination. She was the first son of a local mafia boss.
The narrow alleys stretching from the Obelisk of Saint Dominic are a popular image on Naples postcards. Here university students stroll along Spaccanapoli, the main street that cuts through the historic city, drinking espresso and nibbling ricotta pastries. Short, slender doors lead into the vasci, one-room, ground-floor apartments that used to be homes for the poor but are now more often shops, cellars or even restaurants. In one of them, Daniela Lourdes Falanga is taking a break after a series of hectic days.
"I've spent the whole night providing free HIV tests to everyone who asked for one," says the 42-year-old, surrounded by banners and posters from the annual Pride Parade. "The stigma associated with HIV is still strong in the transsexual community, so many avoid taking the test."
Read more: Bangladeshi women in Italy fight for gender rightsThis small two-story office hosts the local headquarters of Arcigay, Italy's leading LGBT+ organization. A year ago, Falanga became the first transgender woman to be voted in to lead a regional chapter.
Falanga committed herself to the movement a decade ago, after a sex scandal involving a prominent Roman politician led to public outcry against the transgender community.
"I wanted the world to know that we were not monsters," Falanga says. "Transitioning gave me real freedom for the first time in my life, so I needed to spread the word."
Otherwise assertive, when she talks about the past, she trips over her words. "My family never allowed me to show off what I had inside," she says. "I was the effeminate firstborn of a Camorra family, and they always kept me in check."
Growing up in Gomorra
Falanga's father was a local boss in the organized crime syndicate rooted in the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. He abandoned the family right after Falanga was born. She grew up in poverty with her mother.
A view of Naples from Castel Sant'Elmo
As a child, named Raffaele, she was compelled to attend Sunday lunch at her grandmother's house. Her father would cuddle all the children there but her. His indifference hurt: "He treated me like an inanimate object," she says.
Her mother and grandmother scrutinized her every move, cracking down on any trait associated with femininity: no music, no singing, no watching cartoons with female protagonists. "I even feared speaking, as the tone of my voice did not fit their expectations," Falanga says. And when she failed to meet those expectations, her mother beat her.
During her adolescence, her father was arrested and disappeared. Her mother started a new relationship with another man, who was shot dead while stealing a car when Falanga was 13. By the time she was 22 and had transitioned from male to female, she had heard news of her father just once: He had sent a letter to a close cousin, prohibiting any relationship with the son he had abandoned.
Growing up in such a harsh environment helped Falanga clarify ideas about her true nature. "I owed my complete awareness about being a girl also to the violent way in which that world influenced me," she says.
The city of the femminielli
For a transgender woman like Falanga, Naples is a special place: Activists claim the city hosts the second-biggest community worldwide.
"Mythological characters, or particular social groups who break the correlation between their biological sex and a specific gender, mixing characteristics of masculinity and femininity, can be found in several cultures," explains Professor Paolo Valerio, chairperson of Italy's National Observatory on Gender Identity. "But in Naples you find a very particular kind of subjectivity called 'femminielli,' men who think of themselves and dress as women."
Paolo Valerio, chairperson of Italy's National Observatory on Gender Identity
Their presence can be traced back to 1586, when, in his book "De Humana Physiognomonia," philosopher and alchemist Giovanni Battista della Porta described "an effeminate character with scarce beard" who shied away from men and willingly took care of the kitchen.
"The femminiello, though often practicing prostitution, enjoys the recognition of the neighborhood, because they participate in the typical 'fair' economy of the alley," says Valerio. Popular culture considered the femminielli bringers of luck, and they were often charged with drawing numbers at raffles.
Due to the existence of such a deeply rooted figure, Naples has been typically considered a welcoming and tolerant city. In 2009, after police arrested a transexual woman as an affiliate of a criminal family, some commentators even suggested the local mafia was more tolerant than others.
Falanga disagrees. "Camorra members can have a fondness for transsexual women, even have important relationships with them," she says, "but the problem comes when your child is one of them."
Twenty-five years after she had last seen her father, she met him by chance at a local school, where they both had been asked to tell their stories to students. He was serving a life sentence in prison.
"You have become beautiful," he told Falanga. "And we both cried for the whole event," she says.
Family is key
Falanga is skeptical about the extent to which Neapolitan society respects transgender people, despite the femminielli. "So far, Naples has accepted a social phenomenon that involves prostitution and marginality, so transsexual women are directly associated with sex workers," she says.
Falanga works at the University of Naples Federico II counseling students as well as at a help desk for LGBT+ inmates at a local prison
These barriers to genuine acceptance condemned older generations to live as outcasts. "If your body did not fit into a binary representation of gender than you got expelled from the labor market," Falanga says.
That is why she has begun working with local businesses, such as Naples' ANM public transport company and the Mediterranean Theater, to promote a culture of equal opportunities.
But when it comes to helping a transgender teenager to live a healthy and fulfilled life, family plays a crucial role. Falanga often meets mothers and fathers of trans children in her work. The new generation shows more awareness of the distress of gender dysphoria compared to her own parents, she says. It gives her hope for the future.
"If you grow up with your dear ones close, you can build your existence with self-determination," she says. "Otherwise, this remains a complicated city to live in."
---30---
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Germany, world leaders react after Iran admits downing plane by 'mistake'
Ukraine's President Zelenskiy demanded Iran pay compensation and a full investigation over the downing of the Ukrainian passenger jet, while Germany called for measures to prevent such a disaster in the future.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said Ukraine expected a full investigation and compensation from Iran, after Tehran said it "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people board.
After mounting international pressure, Iran earlier on Saturday voiced regret over firing at the passenger plane in "error" amid heightened US tensions.
Iran had initially denied bringing down the aircraft.
'Bring justice to those responsible'
In a Facebook post, the Ukrainian leader said that the truth about the tragedy had been revealed and insisted on a "full admission of guilt."
"Iran has pleaded guilty to crashing the Ukrainian plane. But we insist on a full admission of guilt," he said.
He then made a series of demands, including compensation and full cooperation with Ukrainian investigators.
"We expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open investigation, bringing those responsible to justice, the return of the bodies of the dead, the payment of compensation, official apologies through diplomatic channels," he said.
World leaders respond
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday also acknowledged Iran's admission, saying his government remained focused on closure and justice for the families of the victims, adding that Canadian investigators will continue to cooperate with Iran.
At least 63 of the victims were Canadian.
"This is a national tragedy, and all Canadians are mourning together," he said.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven spoke out to condemn the downing of the plane. 10 Swedish citizens and a further seven people who lived in Sweden died in the crash.
"The fact that a plane was shot down is terrible and horrifying. To have a civil aircraft shot down—whether accidentally or not—is an act that must be condemned and Iran must take full responsibility also in relation to those affected," he said.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Iran to prevent such a "catastrophe" from happening in the future.
"It was important that Iran brought clarity to this issue," he told German media on Saturday.
"Now Tehran needs to draw the right consequences in the continued appraisal of this dreadful catastrophe, and take measures to ensure that something like this cannot happen again."
Four of the victims, among them a recognized asylum seeker from Afghanistan and her two children, had been living in Germany, though they did not hold German citizenship.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described Iran's admission as an "important first step" and that "this tragic accident only reinforces the importance of de-escalating tensions in the region. It is vital that all leaders now pursue a diplomatic way forward."
"We will do everything we can to support the families of the four British victims and ensure they get the answers and closure they deserve," he added in a statement.
Ukraine Airlines: 'These were our best guys and girls'
The head of Ukraine International Airlines, the company that operated the doomed jet, said Saturday that he knew from the beginning the crew and plane weren't the cause of the disaster.
"We didn't doubt for a second that our crew and our plane couldn't be the cause for this horrible plane crash," said company chief Yevhenii Dykhne in a statement on social media.
"These were our best guys and girls. The best."
Eleven Ukrainians, nine of them crew members, died in the crash.
Watch video 26:00 The Day With Phil Gayle: Iran Plane Crash
kp, jsi/stb (Reuters, AFP)
Was the Ukrainian passenger jet shot down? If that proves true, the victims would be even more bitter proof that innocent civilians pay the price when violence escalates, writes DW's Matthias von Hein. (10.01.2020)
Iran fires missiles at US targets in Iraq — as it happened
Iran has launched ballistic missiles targeting the US presence in Iraq, including Ain Assad airbase. With no casualties, US President Trump has said "Iran appears to be standing down." Read events as they happened. (08.01.2020)
'Unforgivable mistake': Iran admits 'unintentionally' shooting down Ukrainian airliner
The Ukrainian passenger jet had crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. Iran said the plane was mistaken for a "hostile target'' amid heightened tensions with the US. (11.01.2020)
Ukraine's President Zelenskiy demanded Iran pay compensation and a full investigation over the downing of the Ukrainian passenger jet, while Germany called for measures to prevent such a disaster in the future.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said Ukraine expected a full investigation and compensation from Iran, after Tehran said it "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people board.
After mounting international pressure, Iran earlier on Saturday voiced regret over firing at the passenger plane in "error" amid heightened US tensions.
Iran had initially denied bringing down the aircraft.
'Bring justice to those responsible'
In a Facebook post, the Ukrainian leader said that the truth about the tragedy had been revealed and insisted on a "full admission of guilt."
"Iran has pleaded guilty to crashing the Ukrainian plane. But we insist on a full admission of guilt," he said.
He then made a series of demands, including compensation and full cooperation with Ukrainian investigators.
"We expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open investigation, bringing those responsible to justice, the return of the bodies of the dead, the payment of compensation, official apologies through diplomatic channels," he said.
Read more: Opinion: We need transparency from Tehran on Ukrainian plane crash in Iran
World leaders respond
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday also acknowledged Iran's admission, saying his government remained focused on closure and justice for the families of the victims, adding that Canadian investigators will continue to cooperate with Iran.
At least 63 of the victims were Canadian.
"This is a national tragedy, and all Canadians are mourning together," he said.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven spoke out to condemn the downing of the plane. 10 Swedish citizens and a further seven people who lived in Sweden died in the crash.
"The fact that a plane was shot down is terrible and horrifying. To have a civil aircraft shot down—whether accidentally or not—is an act that must be condemned and Iran must take full responsibility also in relation to those affected," he said.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Iran to prevent such a "catastrophe" from happening in the future.
"It was important that Iran brought clarity to this issue," he told German media on Saturday.
"Now Tehran needs to draw the right consequences in the continued appraisal of this dreadful catastrophe, and take measures to ensure that something like this cannot happen again."
Four of the victims, among them a recognized asylum seeker from Afghanistan and her two children, had been living in Germany, though they did not hold German citizenship.
Read more: US rolls out new Iran sanctions after airstrikes
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described Iran's admission as an "important first step" and that "this tragic accident only reinforces the importance of de-escalating tensions in the region. It is vital that all leaders now pursue a diplomatic way forward."
"We will do everything we can to support the families of the four British victims and ensure they get the answers and closure they deserve," he added in a statement.
Ukraine Airlines: 'These were our best guys and girls'
The head of Ukraine International Airlines, the company that operated the doomed jet, said Saturday that he knew from the beginning the crew and plane weren't the cause of the disaster.
"We didn't doubt for a second that our crew and our plane couldn't be the cause for this horrible plane crash," said company chief Yevhenii Dykhne in a statement on social media.
"These were our best guys and girls. The best."
Eleven Ukrainians, nine of them crew members, died in the crash.
Watch video 26:00 The Day With Phil Gayle: Iran Plane Crash
kp, jsi/stb (Reuters, AFP)
Was the Ukrainian passenger jet shot down? If that proves true, the victims would be even more bitter proof that innocent civilians pay the price when violence escalates, writes DW's Matthias von Hein. (10.01.2020)
Iran fires missiles at US targets in Iraq — as it happened
Iran has launched ballistic missiles targeting the US presence in Iraq, including Ain Assad airbase. With no casualties, US President Trump has said "Iran appears to be standing down." Read events as they happened. (08.01.2020)
'Unforgivable mistake': Iran admits 'unintentionally' shooting down Ukrainian airliner
The Ukrainian passenger jet had crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. Iran said the plane was mistaken for a "hostile target'' amid heightened tensions with the US. (11.01.2020)
Iranians marched in fiery protests to demand Ayatollah Khamenei's resignation after officials shot down a commercial plane
Iranians shout slogans as one of them holds-up a placard with a Persian script that reads, Death To The Liar, during a gathering to mark the victims of the Ukraine Boeing 737 passenger plane, in Tehrans business district on January 11, 2020. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Thousands of protestors flooded the streets of Tehran to demand the resignation of the country's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Demonstrators had first turned up for a vigil for the 176 passengers who were killed when Iran shot down a Ukrainian commercial airliner.
Fiery chants and marching triggered a response from the city's riot police, and videos on social media show tear gas launched at the crowds.
Thousands of protestors flooded the streets of Tehran days after Iran shot down a Ukrainian commercial airliner, killing all 176 passengers on board.
Emotional vigils for the passengers who were killed in the attack devolved into fiery demonstrations that saw Iranians marching with signs to demand the resignation of the country's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In video captured by The New York Times, angry protestors chanted "death to the dictator," and "shameless," with protestors on university campuses reportedly calling the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps "incompetent" and "the people's shame."
—Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) January 11, 2020
Video posted to social media showed the protests triggered violent clashes with riot police, who responded with tear gas.
—Saina M (@Sainaraha) January 11, 2020
Tensions in the country reached a breaking point when Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752, which was carrying at least 130 Iranian citizens, was shot down on January 8 by Revolutionary Guard air defense forces after it took off from Tehran.
The country initially denied responsibility for the plane crash, suggesting it was a mechanical problem. However, in a statement released by military officials early January 11, Iran admitted to hitting the plane with a missile.
Despite the statement, foreign minister Javad Zarif immediately pointed some blame at the US, saying the crash was caused by "human error at a time of crisis caused by US adventurism."
US-Iran relations quickly devolved as the countries have traded barbs since Iran's attacks in retaliation to the US killing of Qassem Soleimani, a top military official, who was killed by a drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump.
Protesters in Tehran demand Iranian officials resign over PS752 missile strike
Semi-official Fars news agency says demonstrators ripped up pictures of Soleimani
The Associated Press · Posted: Jan 11, 2020
Demonstrators are seen in front of the Amirkabir University
in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Hundreds gathered at universities in Tehran on Saturday night to protest the Iran government's late acknowledgement that it "unintentionally'' shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, after the government had for days repeatedly denied Western accusations and mounting evidence that it was responsible.
A military statement carried by state media earlier on Saturday said the plane was mistaken for a "hostile target" after it turned toward a "sensitive military centre" of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The military was at its "highest level of readiness," it said, amid the heightened tensions with the United States.
Iran President Hassan Rouhani tweeted: "Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake."
The protesters demanded officials involved in the missile attack be removed from their positions and tried.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported demonstrators ripped up pictures of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a targeted attack by the U.S. earlier this month.
Police later broke up the demonstrations.
The Kyiv-bound flight PS752 plane was shot down early Wednesday — killing all 167 aboard, including 57 Canadians — hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad. No one was hurt in the attack on the U.S. bases.
Iranians had rallied around their leaders after the killing of Soleimani, who was seen as a national icon for building up armed groups across the region that project Iranian influence and battle the Islamic State group and other perceived enemies.
The shooting down of the plane and the lack of transparency around it could reignite anger at the country's leadership. Iran has already seen unrest over joblessness and the expense of basic household goods.
'We need full clarity'
Abroad, various governments condemned the strike on the passenger jet and demanded a full investigation.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he told Rouhani that Iran's admission was an important step in providing answers for families, but that more must be done.
"A full and complete investigation must be conducted," Trudeau said. "We need full clarity on how such a horrific tragedy could have occurred."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference in Ottawa on Saturday, saying Iran must take "full responsibility" and that a full and complete investigation must be conducted.
In their conversation, he said Rouhani promised further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the plane crash.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the crash investigation should continue and the "perpetrators" should be brought to justice. He said Iran should compensate victims' families — Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk had separately said Ukraine would pay 200,000 hryvnia each to families (about $11,000 Cdn) — and he requested "official apologies through diplomatic channels."
Zelensky thanked the U.S, Britain, Canada and others for information about the crash and their support. He says that support "undoubtedly helped" push Iran to acknowledge its responsibility for the crash.
The crash killed 11 Ukrainians.
The Ukrainian airline criticized Iran's decision to leave its airspace open despite the hostilities.
"It's absolutely irresponsible," Ukraine International Airlines vice president Ihor Sosnovskiy told reporters. "There must be protection around ordinary people. If they are shooting somewhere from somewhere, they are obliged to close the airport."
Watch: Why flight 752 could take off amid missile strikes
Watch
Why Flight 752 could take off amid missile strikes
If Iran was firing missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq that night, why was Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 able to take off? CBC News’s Susan Ormiston looks for answers. 2:08
Protesters In Tehran Call For Justice Over Iran’s Downing Of Ukrainian Plane
By RFE/RL January 11, 2020
Protesters gathering in front of Amir Kabir university in Tehran.
Share
Protesters outside a university in Tehran have called for justice after Iran admitted it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane on January 8.
“Resignation is not enough," protesters chanted outside Amir Kabir university on January 11 while demanding a trial for those responsible for the downing of the plane that killed all 176 people on board.
Amateur videos posted on social media also showed protesters chanting “dishonorable” in an apparent reference to Iranian authorities, who finally admitted that a missile fired by its forces caused the crash.
The authorities announcement -- coming after repeated denials -- left many Iranians in shock and grief.
Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said on January 11 that his unit accepts “full responsibility” for the tragedy.
In comments aired by state TV, he said that when he learned about the downing of the plane, “I wished I was dead.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his “deep sympathy” to the families of the 176 victims and called on the armed forces to "pursue probable shortcomings and guilt in the painful incident.”
Nearly half of those killed were Iranian citizens while many others were ethnic Iranians living in other countries.With files from Reuters and CBC News
Iran police disperse student air crash protesters: news agency
BY AFP
Iranian police dispersed students chanting "radical" slogans during a Saturday gathering in Tehran to honour the 176 people killed when an airliner was mistakenly shot down, Fars news agency reported.
AFP correspondents said hundreds of students had gathered early in the evening at Amir Kabir University, in downtown Tehran, to pay respects to those killed in the air disaster.
The tribute later turned into an angry demonstration.
The students chanted slogans denouncing "liars" and demanded the resignation and prosecution of those responsible for downing the plane and allegedly covering up the accidental action.
Iran said on Saturday that the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was "unintentionally" shot down on Wednesday shortly after taking off from Tehran's main airport.
All 176 people on board died, mostly Iranians and Canadians, many of whom were students.
Fars, which is close to conservatives, said the protesting students chanted "destructive" and "radical" slogans.
The news agency said some of the students tore down posters of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed on January 3 in a US drone strike on Baghdad.
Fars published pictures of demonstrators gathered around a ring of candles during the tribute and a picture of a torn poster bearing the image of a smiling Soleimani.
It said that police "dispersed" them as they left the university and blocked streets, causing a traffic jam.
In an extremely unusual move, state television mentioned the protest, reporting that the students shouted "anti-regime" slogans.
A video purportedly of the protest circulated online Saturday evening showing police firing tear gas at protesters and a man getting up after apparently being hit in the leg by a projectile.
It was not possible to verify the location of the video, or when it was filmed.
Iran's acknowledgement on Saturday that the plane had been shot down in error came after officials had for days categorically denied Western claims that it had been struck by a missile.
The aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards accepted full responsibility.
But Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said the missile operator acted independently, shooting down the Boeing 737 after mistaking it for a "cruise missile".
Protests in Tehran after Iran admitted shooting down plane
Videos and comments on social media show angry Iranians calling on leadership to resign over plane crash incident.
Protesters in Tehran demand Iranian officials resign over PS752 missile strike
Semi-official Fars news agency says demonstrators ripped up pictures of Soleimani
The Associated Press · Posted: Jan 11, 2020
Demonstrators are seen in front of the Amirkabir University
in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Hundreds gathered at universities in Tehran on Saturday night to protest the Iran government's late acknowledgement that it "unintentionally'' shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, after the government had for days repeatedly denied Western accusations and mounting evidence that it was responsible.
A military statement carried by state media earlier on Saturday said the plane was mistaken for a "hostile target" after it turned toward a "sensitive military centre" of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The military was at its "highest level of readiness," it said, amid the heightened tensions with the United States.
Iran President Hassan Rouhani tweeted: "Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake."
The protesters demanded officials involved in the missile attack be removed from their positions and tried.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported demonstrators ripped up pictures of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a targeted attack by the U.S. earlier this month.
Police later broke up the demonstrations.
ANALYSIS Admitting to downing Ukraine jetliner will cost Iran regime dearlyUkrainian plane was 'unintentionally' shot down, Iran says
The Kyiv-bound flight PS752 plane was shot down early Wednesday — killing all 167 aboard, including 57 Canadians — hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad. No one was hurt in the attack on the U.S. bases.
Iranians had rallied around their leaders after the killing of Soleimani, who was seen as a national icon for building up armed groups across the region that project Iranian influence and battle the Islamic State group and other perceived enemies.
The shooting down of the plane and the lack of transparency around it could reignite anger at the country's leadership. Iran has already seen unrest over joblessness and the expense of basic household goods.
'We need full clarity'
Abroad, various governments condemned the strike on the passenger jet and demanded a full investigation.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he told Rouhani that Iran's admission was an important step in providing answers for families, but that more must be done.
"A full and complete investigation must be conducted," Trudeau said. "We need full clarity on how such a horrific tragedy could have occurred."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference in Ottawa on Saturday, saying Iran must take "full responsibility" and that a full and complete investigation must be conducted.
In their conversation, he said Rouhani promised further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the plane crash.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the crash investigation should continue and the "perpetrators" should be brought to justice. He said Iran should compensate victims' families — Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk had separately said Ukraine would pay 200,000 hryvnia each to families (about $11,000 Cdn) — and he requested "official apologies through diplomatic channels."
Zelensky thanked the U.S, Britain, Canada and others for information about the crash and their support. He says that support "undoubtedly helped" push Iran to acknowledge its responsibility for the crash.
Trudeau says Iran must take 'full responsibility' after admitting its missiles brought down PS752'It was clearly a war zone': Aviation experts question why Flight PS752 was cleared to fly
The crash killed 11 Ukrainians.
The Ukrainian airline criticized Iran's decision to leave its airspace open despite the hostilities.
"It's absolutely irresponsible," Ukraine International Airlines vice president Ihor Sosnovskiy told reporters. "There must be protection around ordinary people. If they are shooting somewhere from somewhere, they are obliged to close the airport."
Watch: Why flight 752 could take off amid missile strikes
Watch
Why Flight 752 could take off amid missile strikes
If Iran was firing missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq that night, why was Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 able to take off? CBC News’s Susan Ormiston looks for answers. 2:08
Protesters In Tehran Call For Justice Over Iran’s Downing Of Ukrainian Plane
By RFE/RL January 11, 2020
Protesters gathering in front of Amir Kabir university in Tehran.
Share
Protesters outside a university in Tehran have called for justice after Iran admitted it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane on January 8.
“Resignation is not enough," protesters chanted outside Amir Kabir university on January 11 while demanding a trial for those responsible for the downing of the plane that killed all 176 people on board.
Amateur videos posted on social media also showed protesters chanting “dishonorable” in an apparent reference to Iranian authorities, who finally admitted that a missile fired by its forces caused the crash.
The authorities announcement -- coming after repeated denials -- left many Iranians in shock and grief.
Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said on January 11 that his unit accepts “full responsibility” for the tragedy.
In comments aired by state TV, he said that when he learned about the downing of the plane, “I wished I was dead.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his “deep sympathy” to the families of the 176 victims and called on the armed forces to "pursue probable shortcomings and guilt in the painful incident.”
Nearly half of those killed were Iranian citizens while many others were ethnic Iranians living in other countries.With files from Reuters and CBC News
Iran police disperse student air crash protesters: news agency
BY AFP
Iranian police dispersed students chanting "radical" slogans during a Saturday gathering in Tehran to honour the 176 people killed when an airliner was mistakenly shot down, Fars news agency reported.
AFP correspondents said hundreds of students had gathered early in the evening at Amir Kabir University, in downtown Tehran, to pay respects to those killed in the air disaster.
The tribute later turned into an angry demonstration.
The students chanted slogans denouncing "liars" and demanded the resignation and prosecution of those responsible for downing the plane and allegedly covering up the accidental action.
Iran said on Saturday that the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was "unintentionally" shot down on Wednesday shortly after taking off from Tehran's main airport.
All 176 people on board died, mostly Iranians and Canadians, many of whom were students.
Fars, which is close to conservatives, said the protesting students chanted "destructive" and "radical" slogans.
The news agency said some of the students tore down posters of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed on January 3 in a US drone strike on Baghdad.
Fars published pictures of demonstrators gathered around a ring of candles during the tribute and a picture of a torn poster bearing the image of a smiling Soleimani.
It said that police "dispersed" them as they left the university and blocked streets, causing a traffic jam.
In an extremely unusual move, state television mentioned the protest, reporting that the students shouted "anti-regime" slogans.
A video purportedly of the protest circulated online Saturday evening showing police firing tear gas at protesters and a man getting up after apparently being hit in the leg by a projectile.
It was not possible to verify the location of the video, or when it was filmed.
Iran's acknowledgement on Saturday that the plane had been shot down in error came after officials had for days categorically denied Western claims that it had been struck by a missile.
The aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards accepted full responsibility.
But Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said the missile operator acted independently, shooting down the Boeing 737 after mistaking it for a "cruise missile".
Protests in Tehran after Iran admitted shooting down plane
Videos and comments on social media show angry Iranians calling on leadership to resign over plane crash incident.
Protesters raise slogans to show their sympathy to victims
of the plane crash in Tehran [Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA/Reuters]
A group of Iranian protesters has demanded Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei step down after Tehran said its military mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane, killing all 176 people on board.
"Commander-in-chief [Khamenei] resign, resign," videos posted on Twitter showed hundreds of people chanting in front of Tehran's Amir Kabir University on Saturday.
Others on Twitter asked why the plane was allowed to take off when tensions in Iran were so high.
Fars news agency reported that Iranian police dispersed students that were chanting "radical" slogans during the gathering in Tehran.
The students chanted slogans denouncing "liars" and demanded the resignation and prosecution of those responsible for downing the plane and allegedly covering up the accidental action.
Fars said the protesting students chanted "destructive" and "radical" slogans.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran said its military had shot down the Ukrainian plane, calling it a "disastrous mistake".
The military claimed air defences were fired in error during an alert which was imposed after Iranian missile struck US targets in Iraq.
Iran denied for days after Wednesday's crash that it brought down the plane, although a top Revolutionary Guards commander on Saturday said he had told authorities about the unintentional missile strike the day it happened.
Speaking from Tehran, Al Jazeera Dorsa Jabbari said: "There is a lot of anger. Iranians are demanding justice and accountability. Many people including families of the victims are in shock. They do not understand why their government would have lied to them for this long."
"Vigils that were held near Amir Kabir University quickly turned into anti-government protests with people calling for the IRGC to leave the country," she said.
Iran's leadership last faced mass protests in November following the rise in petrol prices.
Condemnations
Foreign governments have condemned Iran's action, with Ukraine demanding compensation and a United States official calling the downing "reckless".
The United Kingdom said Tehran's admission was an important first step and urged a de-escalation in tensions.
Supreme leader Khamenei, until now silent about the crash, said information should be made public, while top officials and the military issued apologies.
What caused a Ukranian plane to crash in Tehran?
But the state television suggested revealing the truth might be used by the "enemies of Iran", usually a reference to the US and Israel.
The crash heightened international pressure on Iran after months of friction with the US and tit-for-tat attacks.
A US drone strike killed a top Iranian military commander in Iraq on January 3, prompting Tehran to fire at US targets on Wednesday.
Experts said mounting international scrutiny would have made it all but impossible to hide signs of a missile strike in any investigation.
They said Iran may have felt a U-turn was better than battling rising criticism abroad and growing grief and anger at home, as many victims were Iranians with dual nationality.
Rare apology
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), in a rare step, apologised to the nation and accepted full responsibility for the plane crash.
Senior Guards commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said he had informed Iran's authorities on Wednesday about the unintentional strike, a comment that raised questions about why officials had publicly denied it for so long.
Speaking on state television, he said he wished he "could die" when he heard the news about the incident.
Ukraine demanded an official apology and compensation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for "a complete and thorough investigation" with Iran's full cooperation.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that "human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster", citing an initial armed forces investigation into the crash.
A military statement said the plane flew close to a sensitive Revolutionary Guards site at a time of high alert.
But Ukraine said the plane was in a normal flight corridor. Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation also said the airliner had not veered off its normal course.
Ukraine International Airlines said Iran should have closed the airport, adding that it received no indication it faced a threat and was cleared for take-off.
Analysts said an investigation would almost certainly have revealed signs on the smashed fuselage of a missile strike.
"There's nothing you can do to cover it up or hide it," said Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and former US National Transportation Safety Board investigator. "Evidence is evidence."
The disaster echoed a 1988 incident, when a US warship shot down an Iranian airliner, killing 290 people. While Washington claimed it was an accident, Tehran said it was intentional.
Iran's 'Unforgivable Mistake' Downing Jet Elicits Furor At Home And Abroad
January 11, 2020
COLIN DWYER
Mourners gathered for a candlelight vigil Saturday in Iran's
MORE ON IRANTruth about Iran plane crash could not be hidden: ZelenskyytodayIran says it 'unintentionally' shot down plane: Latest updatestodayIran's retaliation is not overtodayProtests in Tehran after Iran admitted shooting down planetoday
A group of Iranian protesters has demanded Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei step down after Tehran said its military mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane, killing all 176 people on board.
"Commander-in-chief [Khamenei] resign, resign," videos posted on Twitter showed hundreds of people chanting in front of Tehran's Amir Kabir University on Saturday.
Others on Twitter asked why the plane was allowed to take off when tensions in Iran were so high.
More:
US believes Iran accidentally shot down Ukraine plane: Reports
'No survivors': Ukrainian jet crashes in Iran with 176 on board
'Disastrous mistake': Iran admits it shot down Iranian plane
Fars news agency reported that Iranian police dispersed students that were chanting "radical" slogans during the gathering in Tehran.
The students chanted slogans denouncing "liars" and demanded the resignation and prosecution of those responsible for downing the plane and allegedly covering up the accidental action.
Fars said the protesting students chanted "destructive" and "radical" slogans.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran said its military had shot down the Ukrainian plane, calling it a "disastrous mistake".
The military claimed air defences were fired in error during an alert which was imposed after Iranian missile struck US targets in Iraq.
Iran denied for days after Wednesday's crash that it brought down the plane, although a top Revolutionary Guards commander on Saturday said he had told authorities about the unintentional missile strike the day it happened.
BREAKING:Public mourning gatherings turn into protests in #Iran. Angry crowds chanting, "Death to the liars."#IranPlaneCrash #UkrainePlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/20jPNia6WJ— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) January 11, 2020
Speaking from Tehran, Al Jazeera Dorsa Jabbari said: "There is a lot of anger. Iranians are demanding justice and accountability. Many people including families of the victims are in shock. They do not understand why their government would have lied to them for this long."
"Vigils that were held near Amir Kabir University quickly turned into anti-government protests with people calling for the IRGC to leave the country," she said.
Iran's leadership last faced mass protests in November following the rise in petrol prices.
Condemnations
Foreign governments have condemned Iran's action, with Ukraine demanding compensation and a United States official calling the downing "reckless".
The United Kingdom said Tehran's admission was an important first step and urged a de-escalation in tensions.
Supreme leader Khamenei, until now silent about the crash, said information should be made public, while top officials and the military issued apologies.
What caused a Ukranian plane to crash in Tehran?
But the state television suggested revealing the truth might be used by the "enemies of Iran", usually a reference to the US and Israel.
The crash heightened international pressure on Iran after months of friction with the US and tit-for-tat attacks.
A US drone strike killed a top Iranian military commander in Iraq on January 3, prompting Tehran to fire at US targets on Wednesday.
Experts said mounting international scrutiny would have made it all but impossible to hide signs of a missile strike in any investigation.
They said Iran may have felt a U-turn was better than battling rising criticism abroad and growing grief and anger at home, as many victims were Iranians with dual nationality.
Rare apology
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), in a rare step, apologised to the nation and accepted full responsibility for the plane crash.
Senior Guards commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said he had informed Iran's authorities on Wednesday about the unintentional strike, a comment that raised questions about why officials had publicly denied it for so long.
Speaking on state television, he said he wished he "could die" when he heard the news about the incident.
Ukraine demanded an official apology and compensation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for "a complete and thorough investigation" with Iran's full cooperation.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that "human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster", citing an initial armed forces investigation into the crash.
A military statement said the plane flew close to a sensitive Revolutionary Guards site at a time of high alert.
But Ukraine said the plane was in a normal flight corridor. Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation also said the airliner had not veered off its normal course.
Ukraine International Airlines said Iran should have closed the airport, adding that it received no indication it faced a threat and was cleared for take-off.
Analysts said an investigation would almost certainly have revealed signs on the smashed fuselage of a missile strike.
"There's nothing you can do to cover it up or hide it," said Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and former US National Transportation Safety Board investigator. "Evidence is evidence."
The disaster echoed a 1988 incident, when a US warship shot down an Iranian airliner, killing 290 people. While Washington claimed it was an accident, Tehran said it was intentional.
Iran's 'Unforgivable Mistake' Downing Jet Elicits Furor At Home And Abroad
January 11, 2020
COLIN DWYER
Mourners gathered for a candlelight vigil Saturday in Iran's
capital, Tehran, to remember the victims of the Ukrainian
plane crash.Ebrahim Noroozi/AP
Less than a day after Iran finally acknowledged that its armed forces unintentionally brought down a Ukrainian jetliner, Iranian authorities' admission of the "unforgivable mistake" has had major reverberations — both in Iran's capital, Tehran, where demonstrators crowded local universities Saturday, and around a stunned world.
"The fact that Iran has now taken responsibility for the downing of that aircraft means that it is likely that they will be full participants and fully allow a credible, independent international investigation with all partners involved," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference Saturday.
"We still have work to do to ensure that happens," he added, "but the question of responsibility, I think, takes us a step forward towards truly having a very credible and thorough investigation."
The prime minister's comments came two days after he first revealed Canada's suspicion that an Iranian missile system shot down the plane near Tehran early Wednesday. Of the 176 people who were killed aboard the aircraft, 57 were Canadian nationals.
"I had a chance to sit with some of the families of the victims," Trudeau said Saturday. "They are hurt, angry and grieving. They want answers. They want justice. What Iran has admitted to is very serious. Shooting down a civilian aircraft is horrific. Iran must take full responsibility. Canada will not rest until we get the accountability, justice and closure that the families deserve."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses a news conference Saturday in Ottawa, flanked by high-level ministers. Trudeau called the Iranian admission a "step forward," but noted there are lots of questions still to be answered.Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images
Canadians were far from the only passengers who on board. Most of the passengers on board Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 were Iranian. Demonstrators there turned out in droves Saturday to mourn the victims and protest the actions of their own government, which spent days forcefully denying the missile strike before reversing course with its admission.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Ukrainian Plane Crash In Iran: Here's What The Available Evidence Shows
WORLD
Iran Says It Shot Down Ukrainian Jetliner By Mistake
The Iranian government, already beleaguered with recent protests over a spike in fuel prices, enjoyed an upswell of popular support after a U.S. drone strike killed a prominent Iranian military commander in Baghdad last week. The killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who enjoyed a towering reputation among Iranians, elicited massive rallies of mourners and expressions of support for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Earlier this week, Khamenei and the Iranian military retaliated for Soleimani's killing with a series of missile strikes on Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops. The attacks, which resulted in no casualties at the bases, came within hours of the Ukrainian jetliner's crash.
Now, the downing of that plane threatens to unravel the broad domestic support Iran's government enjoyed just one week ago. Circulating on social media Saturday were videos of angry protesters, many of whom took aim at Khamenei with chants of "shameless" and "death to the dictator," according to Reuters.
Tehran: University students chanting “Soleimani is a murderer. His leader, Ali Khamenei is also a murderer.” Protest by thousands of Iranians in Tehran burst the propaganda balloon of the regime regarding Qassem Soleimani’s elimination. #Iran #IranPlaneCrash Via #MEK network. pic.twitter.com/n0hmasMSgj— Shahin Gobadi (@gobadi) January 11, 2020
Other images depicted security forces attempting to disperse the throng by firing canisters of tear gas and manhandling demonstrators.
And here comes the tear gas-> #Tehran, #Iran, #UkranianPlaneCrash #IranPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/8ka3USC04l— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) January 11, 2020
"Why should I vote for this regime? I don't trust them at all," one protester told Reuters. "They lied to us about the plane crash. Why should I trust them when they don't trust people enough to tell the truth?"
Iran newspaper, the official daily publication of the government of Iran, also released a cover story listing the names of the victims and featuring, in bold white lettering, the word "Unforgivable."
صفحه نخست روزنامه ایران
یکشنبه ۲۲ دی ماه ۱۳۹۸
نابخشودنی..
*تیتر یک «روزنامه ایران» پس از اعلام علت سقوط سه روز پیش هواپیمای اوکراینی
*همراه با گرامیداشت یاد و نام قربانیان پرواز هواپیمایی اوکراین باانتشار اسامی تمام جانباختگان ایرانی و خارجی در صفحه اول pic.twitter.com/BEz8aTE9nd— روزنامه ایران (@IranNewspaper) January 11, 2020
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been taking a close interest in the investigation into the causes of the crash, said he spoke over the phone Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani.
Zelenskiy said Rouhani, who initiated the call, personally apologized for the tragedy, while the Ukrainian leader insisted on the speedy identification and return of the bodies of the 11 Ukrainians on board.
"Recognizing the 'missile version' as the cause of the disaster paved the way for its further investigation without any delay and obstruction," Zelenskiy said in a statement released Saturday. "I look forward to further constructive cooperation with Iran in accordance with international law."
Iran admits it 'unintentionally' shot down Ukrainian plane (13:30)
An Iranian commander said 'I wish I could die' after Tehran accepted responsibility for shooting down Ukrainian Airlines flight 752
Ukraine's president wants a 'full admission of guilt' and compensation from Iran after it shot down a commercial plane
Trump doesn't want to go to war, he just wants to look tough, even if it puts US troops in danger
Justin Trudeau toughens his stand on the world stage as he demands justice over plane downed by Iran
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged this week from a long holiday break to face a tragedy that may recast his nation's role on the global stage ...
Less than a day after Iran finally acknowledged that its armed forces unintentionally brought down a Ukrainian jetliner, Iranian authorities' admission of the "unforgivable mistake" has had major reverberations — both in Iran's capital, Tehran, where demonstrators crowded local universities Saturday, and around a stunned world.
"The fact that Iran has now taken responsibility for the downing of that aircraft means that it is likely that they will be full participants and fully allow a credible, independent international investigation with all partners involved," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference Saturday.
"We still have work to do to ensure that happens," he added, "but the question of responsibility, I think, takes us a step forward towards truly having a very credible and thorough investigation."
The prime minister's comments came two days after he first revealed Canada's suspicion that an Iranian missile system shot down the plane near Tehran early Wednesday. Of the 176 people who were killed aboard the aircraft, 57 were Canadian nationals.
"I had a chance to sit with some of the families of the victims," Trudeau said Saturday. "They are hurt, angry and grieving. They want answers. They want justice. What Iran has admitted to is very serious. Shooting down a civilian aircraft is horrific. Iran must take full responsibility. Canada will not rest until we get the accountability, justice and closure that the families deserve."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses a news conference Saturday in Ottawa, flanked by high-level ministers. Trudeau called the Iranian admission a "step forward," but noted there are lots of questions still to be answered.Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images
Canadians were far from the only passengers who on board. Most of the passengers on board Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 were Iranian. Demonstrators there turned out in droves Saturday to mourn the victims and protest the actions of their own government, which spent days forcefully denying the missile strike before reversing course with its admission.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Ukrainian Plane Crash In Iran: Here's What The Available Evidence Shows
WORLD
Iran Says It Shot Down Ukrainian Jetliner By Mistake
The Iranian government, already beleaguered with recent protests over a spike in fuel prices, enjoyed an upswell of popular support after a U.S. drone strike killed a prominent Iranian military commander in Baghdad last week. The killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who enjoyed a towering reputation among Iranians, elicited massive rallies of mourners and expressions of support for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Earlier this week, Khamenei and the Iranian military retaliated for Soleimani's killing with a series of missile strikes on Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops. The attacks, which resulted in no casualties at the bases, came within hours of the Ukrainian jetliner's crash.
Now, the downing of that plane threatens to unravel the broad domestic support Iran's government enjoyed just one week ago. Circulating on social media Saturday were videos of angry protesters, many of whom took aim at Khamenei with chants of "shameless" and "death to the dictator," according to Reuters.
Tehran: University students chanting “Soleimani is a murderer. His leader, Ali Khamenei is also a murderer.” Protest by thousands of Iranians in Tehran burst the propaganda balloon of the regime regarding Qassem Soleimani’s elimination. #Iran #IranPlaneCrash Via #MEK network. pic.twitter.com/n0hmasMSgj— Shahin Gobadi (@gobadi) January 11, 2020
Other images depicted security forces attempting to disperse the throng by firing canisters of tear gas and manhandling demonstrators.
And here comes the tear gas-> #Tehran, #Iran, #UkranianPlaneCrash #IranPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/8ka3USC04l— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) January 11, 2020
"Why should I vote for this regime? I don't trust them at all," one protester told Reuters. "They lied to us about the plane crash. Why should I trust them when they don't trust people enough to tell the truth?"
Iran newspaper, the official daily publication of the government of Iran, also released a cover story listing the names of the victims and featuring, in bold white lettering, the word "Unforgivable."
صفحه نخست روزنامه ایران
یکشنبه ۲۲ دی ماه ۱۳۹۸
نابخشودنی..
*تیتر یک «روزنامه ایران» پس از اعلام علت سقوط سه روز پیش هواپیمای اوکراینی
*همراه با گرامیداشت یاد و نام قربانیان پرواز هواپیمایی اوکراین باانتشار اسامی تمام جانباختگان ایرانی و خارجی در صفحه اول pic.twitter.com/BEz8aTE9nd— روزنامه ایران (@IranNewspaper) January 11, 2020
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been taking a close interest in the investigation into the causes of the crash, said he spoke over the phone Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani.
Zelenskiy said Rouhani, who initiated the call, personally apologized for the tragedy, while the Ukrainian leader insisted on the speedy identification and return of the bodies of the 11 Ukrainians on board.
"Recognizing the 'missile version' as the cause of the disaster paved the way for its further investigation without any delay and obstruction," Zelenskiy said in a statement released Saturday. "I look forward to further constructive cooperation with Iran in accordance with international law."
Iran admits it 'unintentionally' shot down Ukrainian plane (13:30)
An Iranian commander said 'I wish I could die' after Tehran accepted responsibility for shooting down Ukrainian Airlines flight 752
Ukraine's president wants a 'full admission of guilt' and compensation from Iran after it shot down a commercial plane
Trump doesn't want to go to war, he just wants to look tough, even if it puts US troops in danger
Justin Trudeau toughens his stand on the world stage as he demands justice over plane downed by Iran
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged this week from a long holiday break to face a tragedy that may recast his nation's role on the global stage ...
Trump spokesman tries to defend Iran strike by attacking Obama — and it blows up in his face
By Alex Henderson, AlterNet
- Commentary
By Alex Henderson, AlterNet
- Commentary
January 11, 2020
One of the “justifications” that officials in President Donald Trump’s administration have been using to defend the killing of Qasem Soleimani is that the Iranian military commander was planning “imminent attacks” against the United States, even though that explanation has crumbled since it was first rolled out.
On Friday, Hogan Gidley (principal deputy press secretary to Trump) reiterated the administration’s “imminent attacks” assertion without evidence, but he then went on to hit back at critics by saying that when President Barack Obama “killed” al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Libyan dictator Moammar Gadaffi, he did so “without congressional approval.”
This factually challenged claim drew a lot of criticism on Twitter for Gidley.
Soleimani was, in fact, planning “imminent attacks.” While Democrats and the media quibble over its definition, quick point: When Obama killed bin Laden, al-Awlaki and Gaddafi, without Congressional approval, there were NO “imminent attacks” and Democrats did not ask or care.
— Hogan Gidley (@hogangidley45) January 10, 2020
Politico reporter Andrew Desiderio, responding to Gidley, tweeted that Gadaffi, the late Libyan dictator, “was not killed by the United States” — and the 2011 operation that killed bin Laden, according to Desiderio, came under the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF).
“Reporters are asking questions about the ‘imminent attacks’ because that was the administration’s stated justification for taking out Soleimani,” Desiderio added.
The Washington Post’s Shane Harris tweeted that Obama’s administration “consulted members of Congress in advance of killing bin Laden.” And Gadaffi, Harris pointed out, was “killed by a mob,” not Obama.
Bin Laden’s killing was under the 2002 AUMF because it centered on al Qaeda. Reporters are asking questions about the “imminent attacks” because that was the administration’s stated justification for taking out Soleimani. https://t.co/GSzYfFL7kP
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) January 10, 2020
I’d love to hear more about how Obama killed Gaddafi. That’s a new one.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) January 10, 2020
Susan Hennessey, executive editor of Benjamin Wittes’ Lawfare website and a legal/national security analyst for CNN, said of Gidley’s tweet, “Beyond this being factually false, it also completely ignores the fact that Obama was candid with Congress about the factual underpinnings of the threat, whereas Trump appears to be obfuscating and lying.”
She also pointed out that the drone killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who U.S. officials said was a member of al Qaeda, was in fact very controversial and generated pushback against Obama even from within his own party.
@ICanBeAHandful, in response to Gidley, tweeted, “Is pathological lying a requirement to working in this administration? Have you gotten a performance bonus?” And @spdustin posted, “Osama bin Laden wasn’t a general of a sovereign nation,” while @sadielou01 posted, “Where does the WH find you guys? Do you all have to have flunked history for consideration?”
@Joshtpm chastised Gidley, “Dude, can you do the basic level of homework to know that ‘Obama’ didn’t kill Gaddafi? He was caught by a rebel militia and executed, you ridiculous goof.”
1.) Obama didn't kill Gaddafi. He was killed by a mob. 2.) The Obama administration consulted members of Congress in advance of killing bin Laden. Republican Mike Rogers said he was talking to the CIA four months before the operation. https://t.co/VpIBnQQDJg https://t.co/uBJvuoBLt7
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) January 10, 2020
Didn't "ask or care"? The legality of the Awlaki strike was a huge political issue. It was such a significant concern that Democrats joined with Rand Paul to hold up David Barron's circuit confirmation to force Obama to release the al-Awlaki memo. https://t.co/MdB2qthqKq
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) January 10, 2020
1.) Obama didn't kill Gaddafi. He was killed by a mob. 2.) The Obama administration consulted members of Congress in advance of killing bin Laden. Republican Mike Rogers said he was talking to the CIA four months before the operation. https://t.co/VpIBnQQDJg https://t.co/uBJvuoBLt7
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) January 10, 2020
Obama killed Gaddafi ?!?
Boy that IS news!
— Diedrich Bader (@bader_diedrich) January 10, 2020
In the Trump White House, history can be whatever you want it to be, just follow your dreams
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 10, 2020
One of the “justifications” that officials in President Donald Trump’s administration have been using to defend the killing of Qasem Soleimani is that the Iranian military commander was planning “imminent attacks” against the United States, even though that explanation has crumbled since it was first rolled out.
On Friday, Hogan Gidley (principal deputy press secretary to Trump) reiterated the administration’s “imminent attacks” assertion without evidence, but he then went on to hit back at critics by saying that when President Barack Obama “killed” al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Libyan dictator Moammar Gadaffi, he did so “without congressional approval.”
This factually challenged claim drew a lot of criticism on Twitter for Gidley.
Soleimani was, in fact, planning “imminent attacks.” While Democrats and the media quibble over its definition, quick point: When Obama killed bin Laden, al-Awlaki and Gaddafi, without Congressional approval, there were NO “imminent attacks” and Democrats did not ask or care.
— Hogan Gidley (@hogangidley45) January 10, 2020
Politico reporter Andrew Desiderio, responding to Gidley, tweeted that Gadaffi, the late Libyan dictator, “was not killed by the United States” — and the 2011 operation that killed bin Laden, according to Desiderio, came under the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF).
“Reporters are asking questions about the ‘imminent attacks’ because that was the administration’s stated justification for taking out Soleimani,” Desiderio added.
The Washington Post’s Shane Harris tweeted that Obama’s administration “consulted members of Congress in advance of killing bin Laden.” And Gadaffi, Harris pointed out, was “killed by a mob,” not Obama.
Bin Laden’s killing was under the 2002 AUMF because it centered on al Qaeda. Reporters are asking questions about the “imminent attacks” because that was the administration’s stated justification for taking out Soleimani. https://t.co/GSzYfFL7kP
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) January 10, 2020
I’d love to hear more about how Obama killed Gaddafi. That’s a new one.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) January 10, 2020
Susan Hennessey, executive editor of Benjamin Wittes’ Lawfare website and a legal/national security analyst for CNN, said of Gidley’s tweet, “Beyond this being factually false, it also completely ignores the fact that Obama was candid with Congress about the factual underpinnings of the threat, whereas Trump appears to be obfuscating and lying.”
She also pointed out that the drone killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who U.S. officials said was a member of al Qaeda, was in fact very controversial and generated pushback against Obama even from within his own party.
@ICanBeAHandful, in response to Gidley, tweeted, “Is pathological lying a requirement to working in this administration? Have you gotten a performance bonus?” And @spdustin posted, “Osama bin Laden wasn’t a general of a sovereign nation,” while @sadielou01 posted, “Where does the WH find you guys? Do you all have to have flunked history for consideration?”
@Joshtpm chastised Gidley, “Dude, can you do the basic level of homework to know that ‘Obama’ didn’t kill Gaddafi? He was caught by a rebel militia and executed, you ridiculous goof.”
1.) Obama didn't kill Gaddafi. He was killed by a mob. 2.) The Obama administration consulted members of Congress in advance of killing bin Laden. Republican Mike Rogers said he was talking to the CIA four months before the operation. https://t.co/VpIBnQQDJg https://t.co/uBJvuoBLt7
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) January 10, 2020
Didn't "ask or care"? The legality of the Awlaki strike was a huge political issue. It was such a significant concern that Democrats joined with Rand Paul to hold up David Barron's circuit confirmation to force Obama to release the al-Awlaki memo. https://t.co/MdB2qthqKq
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) January 10, 2020
1.) Obama didn't kill Gaddafi. He was killed by a mob. 2.) The Obama administration consulted members of Congress in advance of killing bin Laden. Republican Mike Rogers said he was talking to the CIA four months before the operation. https://t.co/VpIBnQQDJg https://t.co/uBJvuoBLt7
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) January 10, 2020
Obama killed Gaddafi ?!?
Boy that IS news!
— Diedrich Bader (@bader_diedrich) January 10, 2020
In the Trump White House, history can be whatever you want it to be, just follow your dreams
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 10, 2020
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