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UPI
3 hours ago
- Politics
- UPI
Argentina orders trial in absentia for suspects in AMIA bombing in '94
June 26 (UPI) -- Ten Iranian and Lebanese suspects will be tried in absentia for killing 85 and injuring more than 300 at the Argentine Mutual Israelite Association in Buenos Aires in 1994. Argentine federal Judge Daniel Rafecas on Thursday applied the nation's new "trial in absentia" law to try the suspects for the terrorist bombing that is the deadliest terror attack in Argentina's history. The families of truck-bombing victims Mario Averbuch and Luis Czyzewski recently petitioned Rafecas to apply the new law and end years of delays in the matter. Officials in Argentina, the United States and Israel have accused Iran of ordering Hezbollah members to carry out the attack, The Times of Israel reported. The attack was the largest against a Jewish community that is located outside of Israel since the Holocaust, but no arrests have been made. Rafecas ordered 10 defendants to be tried, including current Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader Ahmad Vahidi. Other defendants to be tried in absentia include Ali Fallahijan, Ali Akbar Velayati, Mohsen Rezai, Hadi Soleimanpour and Mohsen Rabbani. Also to be tried are Ahmad Reza Asghari, Salman Raouf Salman, Abdallah Salman and Hussein Mounir Mouzannar. Argentine prosecutors in April also sought an arrest warrant for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A trial in absentia would help to "uncover the truth and reconstruct what happened" before and during the truck bombing attack, Rafecas said. He said the trial is justified due to the nature of the crime and that the suspects are unlikely to ever be tried in person or otherwise be held accountable. The named defendants are former Lebanese and Iranian diplomats and ministers, for whom Argentina has issued international warrants for their arrest. Iranian officials have denied any involvement in the bombing and refuse to arrest and extradite the suspects to Argentina.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Argentina to put Iranians and Lebanese on trial in absentia over 1994 Jewish center bombing
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered that the seven Iranians and three Lebanese citizens accused of involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires face trial in absentia for the first time in the long-running case plagued by setbacks and controversy. For years Argentine courts have ordered that the suspects — Iranian former officials and Lebanese nationals — be apprehended and brought before a judge because Argentina never allowed trials in absentia. Past efforts to encourage foreign governments to arrest the suspects, including an influential advisor to Iran's supreme leader, on the basis of Interpol red alerts never gained traction. But right-wing President Javier Milei, a loyal ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and fierce critic of Iran who studies the Torah with a rabbi despite being born Catholic, pushed a bill through Congress earlier this year that authorizes trials in absentia for fugitives that have long sought to evade justice — allowing Argentina to put the defendants on trial for the first time. On Thursday, Judge Daniel Rafecas approved the trial in absentia following a request from the special prosecutor's office responsible for investigating the 1994 attack, the deadliest in the South American country's history, which killed 85 people two years after a separate bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires killed 22 people. Rafecas described the trial as the only way to avoid impunity now more than 30 years after the bombing. 'Trial in absentia, however limited, remains a tool that allows us, at the very least, to attempt to uncover the truth, reconstruct what happened, and, above all, give those representing the victims a place to express themselves publicly in this process,' he wrote in his ruling. Last year, a high court in Argentina ruled that the Iranian government had masterminded the 1994 attack on the center, known by its acronym AMIA, and that members of Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had carried it out. Iran has long denied any involvement in the attacks. Among the seven Iranians who are subject to Argentine arrest warrants are former Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian, former commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Mohsen Rezaei and former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, who now advises Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The three Lebanese citizens include Salman Raouf Salman, who allegedly coordinated the attack, and fellow Hezbollah members Abdallah Salman and Hussein Mounir Mouzannar. All have been declared in contempt of court, in some cases decades ago. Advancing the AMIA case has been a key goal of Milei, who concluded a trip to Jerusalem on June 12, the night before Israel launched its unprecedented air campaign targeting Iran's nuclear sites and military leadership. Milei escalated his rhetoric against Iran and in support of Israel during the 12-day war between the regional foes, calling the Islamic republic 'an enemy of Argentina' and praising Israel as 'saving Western civilization.' ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Argentina to put Iranians and Lebanese on trial in absentia over 1994 Jewish center bombing
An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered that the seven Iranians and three Lebanese citizens accused of involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires face trial in absentia for the first time in the long-running case plagued by setbacks and controversy. For years Argentine courts have ordered that the suspects — Iranian former officials and Lebanese nationals — be apprehended and brought before a judge because Argentina never allowed trials in absentia. Past efforts to encourage foreign governments to arrest the suspects, including an influential advisor to Iran's supreme leader, on the basis of Interpol red alerts never gained traction. But right-wing President Javier Milei, a loyal ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and fierce critic of Iran who studies the Torah with a rabbi despite being born Catholic, pushed a bill through Congress earlier this year that authorizes trials in absentia for fugitives that have long sought to evade justice — allowing Argentina to put the defendants on trial for the first time. On Thursday, Judge Daniel Rafecas approved the trial in absentia following a request from the special prosecutor's office responsible for investigating the 1994 attack, the deadliest in the South American country's history, which killed 85 people two years after a separate bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires killed 22 people. Rafecas described the trial as the only way to avoid impunity now more than 30 years after the bombing. 'Trial in absentia, however limited, remains a tool that allows us, at the very least, to attempt to uncover the truth, reconstruct what happened, and, above all, give those representing the victims a place to express themselves publicly in this process,' he wrote in his ruling. Last year, a high court in Argentina ruled that the Iranian government had masterminded the 1994 attack on the center, known by its acronym AMIA, and that members of Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had carried it out. Iran has long denied any involvement in the attacks. Among the seven Iranians who are subject to Argentine arrest warrants are former Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian, former commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Mohsen Rezaei and former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, who now advises Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The three Lebanese citizens include Salman Raouf Salman, who allegedly coordinated the attack, and fellow Hezbollah members Abdallah Salman and Hussein Mounir Mouzannar. All have been declared in contempt of court, in some cases decades ago. Advancing the AMIA case has been a key goal of Milei, who concluded a trip to Jerusalem on June 12, the night before Israel launched its unprecedented air campaign targeting Iran's nuclear sites and military leadership. Milei escalated his rhetoric against Iran and in support of Israel during the 12-day war between the regional foes, calling the Islamic republic 'an enemy of Argentina' and praising Israel as 'saving Western civilization.' ____
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Suspects in 1994 bombing of Buenos Aires Jewish community centre to be tried in absentia
A judge in Argentina has ordered the trial in absentia of 10 Iranian and Lebanese nationals suspected of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. The attack, which caused devastation in Latin America's biggest Jewish community, has never been claimed or solved, but Argentina and Israel have long suspected Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group of carrying it out at Iran's request. In a ruling on Thursday judge Daniel Rafecas acknowledged the 'exceptional' nature of the decision to send the case to court over 30 years after the bombing and with the suspects all still at large. Trying them in absentia, he said, allowed to 'at least try to uncover the truth and reconstruct what happened'. On 18 July, 1994, a truck laden with explosives was driven into the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) and detonated. The deadliest attack in Argentina's history injured more than 300 people No one has ever been arrested over the attack. The 10 suspects facing trial are former Iranian and Lebanese ministers and diplomats for whom Argentina has issued international arrest warrants. Since 2006 Argentina had sought the arrest of eight Iranians, including then-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died in 2017. Iran has always denied any involvement and refused to arrest and hand over suspects. Thursday's ruling on trying them in absentia is the first of its kind in the South American country. Until March this year, the country's laws did not allow for suspects to be tried unless they were physically present. It comes amid a new push in recent years for justice to be served over the attack, backed by President Javier Milei, a staunch ally of Israel. Rafecas said a trial in absentia was justified given the 'material impossibility of securing the presence of the defendants and the nature of the crime against humanity under investigation'. In April 2024, an Argentine court blamed Hezbollah for the attack, which it called a 'crime against humanity.' It found that the attack and another on the Israeli embassy in 1992 that killed 29 people were likely triggered by the Argentine government under then-president Carlos Menem cancelling three contracts with Iran for the supply of nuclear equipment and technology. The court did not however manage to produce evidence of Iran's involvement. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San José, Costa Rica last year found the Argentine state responsible for neither preventing nor properly investigating the attack. It also blamed the state for efforts to 'cover up and obstruct the investigation'. Former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has been ordered to stand trial over a memorandum she signed with Iran in 2013 to investigate the bombing. The memorandum, which was later annulled, allowed for suspects to be interrogated in Iran rather than Argentina, leading Fernández to be accused of conspiring with Tehran in a cover-up.
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Argentina to try 10 in absentia over 1994 bombing of Jewish center
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina will try in absentia ten Iranian and Lebanese nationals suspected of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people, a ruling seen by AFP on Thursday said. The attack, which caused devastation in Latin America's biggest Jewish community, has never been claimed or solved, but Argentina and Israel have long suspected Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group of carrying it out at Iran's request. Judge Daniel Rafecas acknowledged the 'exceptional' nature of the decision to send the case to court, over three decades after the bombing and with the suspects all still at large. Trying them in absentia, he said, allowed to 'at least try to uncover the truth and reconstruct what happened.' On July 18, 1994, a truck laden with explosives was driven into the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) and detonated. The deadliest attack in Argentina's history injured more than 300 people No-one has ever been arrested over the attack. The ten suspects facing trial are former Iranian and Lebanese ministers and diplomats for whom Argentina has issued international arrest warrants. Since 2006 Argentina had sought the arrest of eight Iranians, including then-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Bahramaie Rafsanjani, who died in 2017. Iran has always denied any involvement and refused to arrest and hand over suspects. Thursday's ruling on trying them in absentia is the first of its kind in the South American country. Until March this year, the country's laws did not allow for suspects to be tried unless they were physically present. It comes amid a new push in recent years for justice to be served over the attack, backed by President Javier Milei, a staunch ally of Israel. Rafecas said a trial in absentia was justified given the 'material impossibility of securing the presence of the defendants and the nature of the crime against humanity under investigation.' In April 2024, an Argentine court blamed Hezbollah for the attack, which it called a 'crime against humanity.' It found that the attack and another on the Israeli embassy in 1992 that killed 29 people were likely triggered by the Argentine government under then-president Carlos Menem canceling three contracts with Iran for the supply of nuclear equipment and technology. The court did not however manage to produce evidence of Iran's involvement. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica last year found the Argentine state responsible for not preventing, nor properly investigating, the attack. It also blamed the state for efforts to 'cover up and obstruct the investigation.' Former president Cristina Kirchner has been ordered to stand trial over a memorandum she signed with Iran in 2013 to investigate the bombing. The memorandum, which was later annulled, allowed for suspects to be interrogated in Iran rather than Argentina, leading Kirchner to be accused of conspiring with Tehran in a cover-up. She has denied the allegations.
