An Argentine high court called the 1994 AMIA bombing a “crime against humanity” and said Iran was behind the attack in a ruling issued Thursday.
The court went on to say that “political and military organization” Hezbollah was the main perpetrator of the attack, which it alleged was carried out in part because Argentina had unilaterally rescinded three contracts to provide Iran with nuclear materials and technology.
The main building of the AMIA, a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, was destroyed by a bomb on July 18, 1994, killing 85 people and injuring over 300. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the Western Hemisphere until the September 11 attack. Two years earlier, the Israel Embassy in Buenos Aires also suffered a bombing attack that killed 22 people.
The investigation into the attack was hampered by corruption and cover-up attempts, and the case has become a divisive political issue in Argentina. Thursday’s ruling is considered the definitive sentence in the case and could open the door for the country to pursue charges against Iran in international courts.
It should be noted that the statement by the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation, the highest criminal court in the country, was a result of its revision of a 2019 trial that investigated an alleged cover-up. The case of the actual investigation into the attack was not under review.
In line with this, the chamber confirmed previous convictions against a slew of former judiciary members and government officials for covering up the attack. However, it reduced their prison sentences.
Among them are former judge Juan José Galeano, who initially investigated the attack; Hugo Anzorreguy, who was in charge of the Intelligence Secretariat at the time of the bombing; as well as two former prosecutors. Galeano and company were prosecuted in 2009 after being accused of diverting the investigation to incriminate former police and disregarding evidence of Iran and Syria’s possible responsibility.
The conviction of Carlos Telleldín, who was accused of providing the vehicle for the alleged car bomb and later testified that he was paid US$400,000 by Galeano to accuse former officers of being behind the attack, was also confirmed.
In 2013, the Cristina Kirchner administration proposed a preliminary agreement with the Iranian government to jointly investigate the attack. This memorandum with Iran was never enacted because Iran’s parliament did not approve it. However, it became a lightning rod in Argentina, as judiciary members and the opposition considered it undue interference in the investigation by the Executive Branch.
President Milei, who is currently in the United States, celebrated the ruling, saying it laid bare “Kirchnerism’s repeated attempts to cover up Iran’s responsibility” through the memorandum of understanding with Tehran.
The president of the Argentine Delegation of Israeli Associations (DAIA, for its Spanish initials), Jorge Knoblovits, said that these judges should be “applauded for their bravery.” He added that the ruling opens the door for Argentina to file a case in the International Criminal Court.
The Argentine judiciary investigated allegations that the Iranian government orchestrated the AMIA attack and that Hezbollah, which Argentina declared a terrorist organization in 2019, had been in charge of carrying it out. However, this had never been conclusively proven, and until now, the investigation remained open.
Argentine high court rules Iran behind AMIA bombing, calls it ‘crime against humanity’
14
0
12.04.2024
An Argentine high court called the 1994 AMIA bombing a “crime against humanity” and said Iran was behind the attack in a ruling issued Thursday.
The court went on to say that “political and military organization” Hezbollah was the main perpetrator of the attack, which it alleged was carried out in part because Argentina had unilaterally rescinded three contracts to provide Iran with nuclear materials and technology.
The main building of the AMIA, a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, was destroyed by a bomb on July 18, 1994, killing 85 people and injuring over 300. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the Western Hemisphere until the September 11 attack. Two years earlier, the Israel Embassy in Buenos Aires also suffered a bombing attack that killed 22 people.
The investigation into the attack was hampered by corruption and cover-up........
© Buenos Aires Herald
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Mort Laitner
Rachel Marsden
Bradley Blankenship
Donald Low
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
Abbas Juma
Michael Kwet
