Argentina Marks 32 Years Since AMIA Bombing Amid Stalled Investigation and Calls for Justice

Buenos Aires and much of Argentina’s Jewish community gathered Friday morning at Pasteur Street at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) to mark 32 years since one of the worst antisemitic terrorist attacks in the Diaspora, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. The ceremony, which began with a siren at 9:53 a.m.—the exact time of the bombing over three decades ago—was attended by Argentine President Javier Milei, Israeli Ambassador to Argentina Eyal Sela, and other foreign leaders.

Before the event began, Milei met former hostage Iair Horn, an Israeli with Argentine citizenship who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz to Gaza alongside his younger brother, Eitan Horn, on October 7, 2023. Iair Horn was held for 498 days before being released, while Hamas kept his brother in captivity for 737 days. Israeli Ambassador Sela informed Milei of Horn's presence and brought them together for a brief exchange, according to Argentine news source AJN, as reported by the Post.

The ceremony adopted the slogan "Today we cannot lose our memory," echoing the World Cup chant that had swept the nation during the recent tournament, a phrase the Jewish community hoped would help force a reckoning with the 1994 attack on the community center, which killed 85 people the day after that year's World Cup final. Attendees were given posters bearing the images of victims, which they held high in the air throughout the event.

AMIA President Osvaldo Armoza condemned the standstill in the investigation into the terror attack, saying the case is still "stuck, dormant, or buried in a drawer," even after 32 years, as reported by Maariv and cited by the Post. "In the past year, there have been no significant developments in the AMIA case," he said at the ceremony. "It's as if it has stalled or been shelved. We oppose this stagnation by keeping our flame alive. A flame fueled by the heat of an injustice that burns us from within, but at the same time, motivates us to continue fighting."

Armoza also said that since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel, "the international community has witnessed a terrifying and alarming resurgence of antisemitism." He called for the legislative branch to implement modern laws to combat terrorism, noting that "just as other countries have suffered this scourge, Argentina must modify its legal structure in accordance with the demands of the present day."

Senator Patricia Bullrich, a political ally of President Milei's government, acknowledged to reporters at the event that the process has been slow but said she is optimistic it will move forward. "Justice is moving forward, although it has been slow, of course. It has been a very complex and difficult case," she said. "But now, with the trial in absentia, the process is moving ahead, and that is very important."

Last month, Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas used the new law allowing trial in absentia to order a trial for the current chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as reported by the Post. The country's Jewish leaders hope this new law will bring some measure of justice for a community that has faced decades of frustrations and obstacles to bring accountability to the Iranian and Hezbollah officials alleged to be behind the attack.

In Jerusalem, a similar ceremony was held at the Foreign Ministry, where Argentina's Ambassador to Israel, Shimon Axel Wahnish, delivered an emotional speech. Wahnish, who was at home about 20 blocks from the AMIA building when the bomb exploded, said, "For 32 years, I've been hearing that it was an attack against the Jewish community, against Argentina as a whole. But, even if both claims are true, I like to think of it as a wider attack against humanity as a whole."

He described the attack as "part of a bigger chain of events that includes international terrorism," adding, "And if you follow this thread, you can see that it all ends up in the same enemy, that wants to instill psychological terror by means of violence, and who wants to erode the bases of our culture, our civilization, and of all of humanity."

Wahnish also emphasized the similarities between the Israeli and Argentinian national anthems, noting that a key word they share is "freedom," and said it is "our responsibility to honor the memory of those killed in the attack, but also fight for a world with freedom."

Key Claims

  • The AMIA bombing killed 85 people and injured over 300 in 1994, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina's history, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • President Javier Milei met former hostage Iair Horn at the ceremony marking the 32nd anniversary, as reported by the Post, citing Maariv and AJN.
  • AMIA President Osvaldo Armoza condemned the stalled investigation into the attack, saying the case is "stuck, dormant, or buried in a drawer," as reported by the Post, citing Maariv.
  • Ambassador Shimon Axel Wahnish spoke at a ceremony in Jerusalem, calling the attack "an attack against humanity as a whole," as reported by the Post.
  • The attack was blamed on Iran and Hezbollah, and a high court in Argentina ruled that Iran was responsible for both the AMIA bombing and the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, as reported by the Post. Iran has denied any involvement.
  • No one has been convicted for the AMIA bombing attack, as reported by the Post.

Perspectives

AMIA President Osvaldo Armoza: Armoza condemned the lack of progress in the investigation, expressing frustration over the stalled case and calling for new anti-terrorism laws.

Ambassador Shimon Axel Wahnish: Wahnish framed the attack as an assault on humanity itself, part of a chain of international terrorism, and praised President Milei's firm stance against terrorism and antisemitism.

Senator Patricia Bullrich: Bullrich acknowledged the slow pace of justice but expressed optimism that the new trial-in-absentia law will move the case forward.