Argentina has paid tribute this Friday to the 85 people who died in the attack against the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires, in a new commemoration marked by criticism of the blockage of the judicial case, 32 years after the attack for which the suspicion of Iran's responsibility still weighs.
In the event, the president of AMIA, Osvaldo Armoza, and relatives of the victims have spoken, in the presence of the Argentine president, Javier Milei, accompanied by close collaborators such as his sister Karina, secretary of the Presidency.
In his initial message addressed to the relatives of the deceased, Armoza praised the "unsurpassable lesson of dignity" for "walking upright despite the fact that a part of their lives was buried right here under the rubble." "They did not give up. They have bequeathed to us the ethical legacy of never yielding in the pursuit of what is just," he expressed.
In that line, he lashed out against "impunity" and the absence of responses from the State regarding the attack, lamenting that the judicial file continues without substantial progress to clarify what happened and sanction those responsible. In his opinion, this situation of impunity constitutes an "intolerable abyss for any Republic that pretends to call itself democratic." "It has been more than three decades in which the Argentine State, filled with neglect, complicity, and systematic errors, has been unable to provide light on one of the darkest pages of our history," he emphasized.
Armoza particularly lamented that during the last year there has been "no relevant news" in the investigation, reiterating that the case remains "stopped, dormant, or shelved" and demanding that it stop getting lost in "bureaucratic labyrinths."
The community leader has again pointed to Iran as responsible for the attack carried out in 1994, appealing to the "evidence accumulated over years in the judicial investigation." "Behind the attack was Iran, and one of its armed wings, the terrorist group Hezbollah," he stated emphatically about the Lebanese militia, insisting that "these are not versions or theories."
Nevertheless, in the presence of Milei, the president of AMIA has emphasized that the position of the current Argentine Government is "to firmly place itself on the right side of history," highlighting its support for Israel and the decision to declare the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) as a terrorist organization.
Milei has personally attended the tribute, in which he did not speak, although he did have a brief meeting with Yair Horn, an Argentine-Israeli citizen released after having been held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
For his part, the Argentine Foreign Minister, Pablo Quirno, has reminisced about the anniversary and has stated in a message on social media that the attack against AMIA "forever marked Argentina." "We reaffirm our country's commitment to the fight against terrorism and to the ongoing demand that those responsible be brought to Justice," he has stated.
Likewise, the United States ambassador in Buenos Aires, Peter Lamelas, has dedicated some words of remembrance to the victims of the attack, emphasizing that the attack "was not only against the Jewish community, but against the values of freedom, democracy, and human dignity."
"The United States reaffirms its solidarity with the Argentine people and with the Jewish community, and renews its commitment to combat antisemitism, defend religious freedom, and confront terrorism wherever it exists," he has emphasized. "Memory demands truth. Justice cannot wait," he concluded.