Three Years After Amia Bombing: Investigation Still Mired In Corruption And Ineptitude; Jewish Community Pressure Needed To Keep The Case Open

American Jewish Committee
Thursday, 17 July 1997

On the third anniversary of the July 18, 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Aid Association (AMIA) Jewish community building in Buenos Aires, a new American Jewish Committee investigative report - a follow up to two earlier publications released on the first and second anniversaries of the attack - asserts that "investigators have precious little to show," with the notable exception that "officials have established beyond doubt that Argentine policemen were deeply involved at least in the first stages of the conspiracy."

"Justice Delayed: Three Years After the AMIA Bombing," was written for AJC by Sergio Kiernan, a prominent Argentine journalist. Mr. Kiernan was also the author of the two earlier AJC reports: "Waiting for Justice: Two Years After the AMIA Bombing" (1996), and "Atrocity in Buenos Aires: The AMIA Bombing, One Year Later" (1995).

The bombing of the seven-story AMIA building was the deadliest terrorist event in Argentina's history, and the largest Jewish death toll from terrorism outside Israel since World War II. Eighty-six people were killed and another 300 were wounded. It was the second major attack against a Jewish target in Buenos Aires, after the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy.

In his foreword to the report, Jason Isaacson, AJC Director of International Affairs, stated that "to this day, despite repeated assurances by the authorities that the perpetrators will be apprehended and punished, the crime has not been solved.

"The American Jewish Committee, which has maintained close relations with the Jewish community of Argentina for over half a century, has followed the course of events with great concern. As soon as it learned of the AMIA bombing, AJC sent a delegation to Buenos Aires to express solidarity with Argentine Jews and to impress on government officials the need for a prompt and effective investigation. Since then, as one false lead followed another and no one has been convicted, we have met often with high-level Argentine leaders to reinforce the message that American Jewry will not remain silent so long as this crime against humanity remains unsolved.

"We are determined to publish and distribute regular reports on the progress (or lack of progress) of the investigation. The picture is not encouraging, but we owe it to the innocent victims to keep world attention on this case until justice is done."

Mr. Kiernan notes in the AJC report that the first arrest was Carlos Telleldin, a petty thief and stolen car dealer who, after two years in prison, finally confessed that he turned a white Renault van, the one ultimately used in the bombing, over to police during a shakedown. Today, eleven Buenos Aires police officers and agents are in prison charged with conspiracy in the bombing. But the officers continue to refuse to answer questions or acknowledge any criminal involvement. And the most important piece of evidence - who bought the White Renault van used in the bombing from the police - remains unknown.

"Their arrests," he writes, "began to reveal a network of corruption and violence among policemen that has scandalized Argentines and forced their government to act. A major purge of the police force has already cost hundreds of officers their jobs.

"The discovery of a connection between law enforcement agents and terrorism confirmed what many Argentines strongly suspected. Obstacles to the investigation of the AMIA bombing start at the very agencies charged with uncovering the truth. And therefore uncovering the truth will necessitate a major institutional overhaul that goes way beyond the AMIA case."

In examining the image of Argentina around the world, Mr. Kiernan states: "For Argentine politics, the basic imperative is maintaining the goodwill of the United States, and therefore Argentine leaders tend to speak more candidly in the U.S. than at home.

"Thus, in a meeting with American Jewish Committee leaders in New York on September 25, 1996, that lasted almost an hour, Foreign Minister Guido di Tella was extremely forthcoming. He acknowledged his country's negative image in the eyes of world Jewry. Although Argentina has opened its files on Nazis, passed an antidiscrimination law, and demonstrated many other signs of goodwill toward Argentine Jews and Israel, di Tella recognized that the 1994 bombing and the terrorist destruction two years earlier of the Israeli embassy constituted a 'roadblock' to better relations. Noting that President Menem himself was 'displeased' with the lack of progress in the investigation, di Tella hoped that the arrest of the policemen might mark the beginning of a breakthrough in the case."

Nonetheless, Mr. Kiernan asserts, the investigation continues to be mired in corruption and ineptitude. A recent poll showed that 90 percent of Argentines living in the Buenos Aires area had "little or no trust in the judiciary system," and an even higher percentage expressed distrust of the police.

Mr. Kiernan concludes: "Since no government likes to expose the faults of its own system, the Argentine government would prefer to close the case, if it could do so without adverse consequences abroad. That is why it is crucial for the American Jewish community to keep the pressure on, supporting the investigation and keeping Argentine officials on notice that this matter will not be allowed simply to fade away."

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org