Justice Still Being Sought for Victims of Buenos Aires Jewish Community Center Bombing, 26 Years Later
by Algemeiner Staff
The aftermath of the bombing of the AMIA building in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994. Photo: File.
Saturday will mark the 26th anniversary of the deadly bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in which 85 people were murdered.
The July 18, 1994 attack at the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) building was perpetrated by Hezbollah on behalf of its backer, Iran.
Major Jewish groups around the world are commemorating the atrocity with social media posts.
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) tweeted, “On July 18, 1994, a terrorist attack struck the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85 people. Julio Menajovsky was one of the first photojournalists on the scene. More than two decades later, he reunited with survivors and relatives of the victims.”
On July 18, 1994, a terrorist attack struck the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85 people. Julio Menajovsky was one of the first photojournalists on the scene. More than two decades later, he reunited with survivors and relatives of the victims. pic.twitter.com/DKESzFKCM3
— WJC (@WorldJewishCong) July 16, 2020
B’nai B’rith International tweeted, “Twenty-six years after the #AMIA terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires, there’s still no justice for the victims & their families.”
Twenty-six years after the #AMIA terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires, there’s still no justice for the victims & their families. Our Latin American Affairs experts Eduardo Kohn & Adriana Camisar speak about where the case stands today & more.
FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/1TShqMtv33 pic.twitter.com/J20hBMqHd1
— B’nai B’rith Int’l (@BnaiBrith) July 16, 2020
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) tweeted, “We mourn with the families of the vicitms of the #AMIA bombing in 1994 & join them in their mission to seek justice.”
We mourn with the families of the vicitms of the #AMIA bombing in 1994 & join them in their mission to seek justice.
During the suicide bomb attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) in Buenos Aires on 18 July 1994, 85 people were killed & hundreds were injured. pic.twitter.com/yHADOGdOts— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) July 17, 2020
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) tweeted, “26 years later, we remember.”
26 years later, we remember.
To commemorate the anniversary of the #AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, AJC looked back at that terrible day and shared the stories of heroes who miraculously survived and still work at AMIA today.
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) July 15, 2020
The AJC also hosted an online program on Thursday featuring a conversation with the current president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, who said his government was committed to bringing those responsible for the bombing to justice.
“The truth is that for Argentines, the AMIA attack is very painful,” Fernández said. “This was not an attack against the Jewish community only, it was an attack against Argentina. The victims, many of them, were members of the Jewish community. But they were Argentines first and foremost and it hurts us as such.”
However, it must be noted that Alberto Fernández’s current vice president is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the former Argentine president suspected of illegally conspiring with Iran to cover up its role in the attack.
This matter was investigated by the late Argentine federal prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in his Buenos Aires apartment in January 2015, shortly before he was supposed to appear at a congressional hearing to lay out his allegations against Kirchner.
Nisman’s death was originally depicted by Argentine authorities as a suicide, but it was later determined he had been murdered — a crime for which no one has yet been arrested. Some have accused Kirchner of being behind Nisman’s killing.
