Iran Tehran Police Chief "Did Not Fire Live Rounds at Memorial Protesters"

Iranian university students held a protest after a memorial ceremony for the victims of the Ukrainian passenger plane shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard missiles in front of Amirkabir University in Tehran, the capital, on the 11th (local time). (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Tehran Police Chief of Iran claimed on the 12th that there was no live ammunition shooting at citizens during the memorial protest for the Ukrainian passenger plane crash that took place in downtown Tehran.

Hossein Rahimi, Tehran Police Chief of Iran, stated in a press release on the 13th (local time), "The police never fired guns at citizens at the protest site," and "Tehran police were ordered to exercise restraint towards the protesters."

Earlier on the evening of the 12th, a large-scale protest occurred near Azadi Square in southwestern Tehran. Citizens participating in the protest claimed that the Iranian government and military tried to cover up the passenger plane shootdown.

The military and police blocked roads leading to Azadi Square to suppress the protest at its source, but protesters continued sporadic demonstrations on surrounding roads.

Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that the military and police fired tear gas, and gunshots were also heard. However, it has not been confirmed whether these gunshots were live ammunition.

Videos and photos showing bloodstains left on the ground were circulated on social networking services (SNS). So far, there have been no media reports or SNS messages confirming any civilian deaths in the protests.

In Iran, anti-government protests against gasoline price hikes also broke out nationwide in November last year. During the protests that lasted about ten days, Iranian military and police opened fire, and foreign human rights organizations estimate the death toll to be between 300 and 400.

However, Iranian authorities have labeled these protests as riots instigated by foreign intelligence agencies and have not disclosed the number of deaths caused by the shootings.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.