Argentina Commemorates 30th Anniversary of AMIA Bombing with Pledge for Justice

by bollywoodfever · 18/07/2024

Argentina’s Jewish community marks 30 years since the AMIA bombing. President Javier Milei vows to strengthen investigations and proposes trials in absentia for suspects.

Bollywood Fever: Argentina’s Jewish community is set to commemorate the 30th anniversary of a devastating bombing that killed 85 people. President Javier Milei has promised to address decades of inaction and inconsistencies in the investigations into the attack.

In 1994, a bomb-filled van struck the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, marking the deadliest such incident in the nation’s history.

“Today we chose to speak out, not stay silent,” Milei said in an address on Wednesday evening. “We’re raising our voice, not folding our arms. We choose life because anything else is making a game out of death.”

Argentina Commemorates 30th Anniversary of AMIA Bombing with Pledge for Justice

In April, Argentina’s top criminal court attributed the attack to Iran, stating it was executed by Hezbollah militants in line with “a political and strategic design” by Iran. Tehran has denied involvement and refused to extradite suspects, with previous investigations and Interpol arrest warrants yielding no results.

Milei, a strong supporter of both the Jewish community and Israel, announced on Wednesday his intention to propose a bill allowing for the trial of suspects in absentia. He also pledged to enhance the national intelligence system to prevent similar attacks and to allocate more resources to investigate the AMIA incident.

Argentine prosecutors have charged senior Iranian officials and members of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah with orchestrating the bombing, as well as a 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Argentina, which killed 22 people.

“Although they may never be able to serve a sentence, they will not be able to escape the eternal condemnation of a court proving their guilt in front of the whole world,” Milei stated. He described the April decision as an “enormous step” towards justice in the AMIA case but acknowledged the extensive challenges ahead due to what he termed the “cover-up by the terrorist state of Iran.”

Last week, Milei declared Iran-backed militant Islamist group Hamas a terrorist organization following its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The president also compared the attack on Israel to the 1994 bombing in Buenos Aires and demanded that Hamas release all hostages, including eight Argentines.

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