US Harassment of Iranian Jetliner Amounts to ‘Aerial Banditry’: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Head of the Iranian Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights slammed the harassment of an Iranian passenger plane by two American fighter jets over Syria as a brazen example of aerial banditry.
In remarks on Friday, Ali Baqeri-Kani denounced the dangerous maneuvering by the US warplanes close to the Iranian airliner in the Syrian airspace as an example of aerial banditry and a serious threat to global aviation security, saying lack of severe action against such an American move would violate international peace and security.
Denouncing the US government for “systematic rudeness” in breaching international rules and regulations, he said, “The terrorist CENTCOM’s harassment of the Iranian passenger plane over Syria was in violation of aviation security, freedom of civilian flights, and the fundamental and basic rules and principles of international humanitarian law.”
Baqeri-Kani also emphasized that the Iranian Judiciary will resort to the domestic legal procedures, such as the “law on counteraction against the violation of human rights and the US’ adventurist and terrorist measures in the region,” to seriously pursue the case against those who ordered, perpetrated, aided and abetted the harassment of the Iranian jetliner for the threat of violation of the passengers’ right to life and for the physical and mental damages to them.
Prosecution of the violators of public rights will be on the agenda of the Iranian Judiciary at the international level according to the law, Baqeri-Kani concluded.
Two US fighter jets came close to the Mahan Air passenger plane in Syrian airspace on Thursday, causing the pilot to quickly change altitude to avoid collision.
A video posted on Friday by Iran’s IRIB news agency showed a jet from the window of a plane and blood on the face of a passenger – reportedly as a result from an injury sustained during the sudden altitude change.
The IRIB initially reported a single Israeli jet had come near the plane but later quoted the pilot as saying there were two jets which identified themselves as American.
The pilot of the passenger plane contacted the jet pilots to warn them about keeping a safe distance and the jet pilots identified themselves as American, the IRIB reported.
The plane later landed in Beirut, safely evacuating its passengers, some of whom were injured.
After refueling, it immediately took off and returned to Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport.
