Family members, a big crowd from the local Jewish community and politicians gathered in the place where 19 years ago an attack destroyed the AMIA community centre in downtown Buenos Aires and killed 85 people.
Years have passed since the day of the explosion that wiped the building of 663 Pasteur Street, but still hundreds of people joined the memorial act, carrying “Justicia” (Justice) signs with them.
But this demonstration had a different tone, as a consequence of the agreement signed between the Argentine and Iranian governments last January.
Daniel Said lost his brother Ricardo and his cousin Marisa. With tear in his eyes, he explained his frustration with President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s policy, and criticized her absence from today’s memorial service.
“Both were working in the AMIA when the attack took place. I feel a lot of pain and sadness, it never goes away”, Said told The Herald.
“Especially because we have parents, who are very adult people and you watch them suffering. It’s just a pain that doesn’t stops, but the worst thing is we still have no justice”, he added.
Said concluded saying the agreement was “a shame, and I told that to our Foreign Secretary Hector Timerman in his face”.
Berta Furman, 55, has no relatives who lost their lives in 1994 bombing; nonetheless she decided to come as she does every year.
“It’s our obligation to show our presence here”, she explained, while describing the diplomatic agreement with Iran as “disgusting”, and added “I can´t believe Argentina lends itself to such spurious negotiations. I am not optimistic about this”, stated Furman.
At 9.53 an alarm sounded and the place stood still in silence, followed by a name counting of the 85 victims. Once a name was heard, the crowd responded with a “presente” (present) shout.
Later, AMIA’s president, Leonardo Jmlenitzky took a speech on the main stage that had a huge sign saying “19 years: the wound remains open”. He also took a hard line and repudiated Kirchner’s initiative.
“19 years ago our fathers and sons were murdered. It’s a wound that cannot heal without true and justice”, he exclaimed.
But the hardest criticism came from Sofia Guterman, a member of the Victim’s Families Association, who pointed out specifically Héctor Timerman’s opinion turn.
Most of the presents showed their distaste for Timerman, a well known member of the local Jewish community. Whenever his name was heard by the spokesmen, the crowd responded with whistles, outcries and booing. Some of them even curse him.
Candidates, lawmakers and Senators showed up from all across the political spectrum. The ruling Victory Front party, in the absence of President Kirchner, was represented by Senator Anibal Fernández.
Meanwhile, the opposition brought Progressive Front representatives Hermes Binner and Victoria Donda Perez, Civic ARI Coalition Alfonso Prat Gay, and Radical Union majority leader Ricardo Gil Lavedra among others.
“I came because it is important to be here today and it‘s important to not forget that the impunity continues. The memorandum signed the impunity, because the case does not move forward, and the Government is not interested in investigate the local connection”, declared Donda Perez.
A large scale operative was deployed next to AMIA’s surrounding streets, and it included Federal Police agents, private security and one explosives brigade as well. The accesses around Pasteur Street were all closed.
On July 18 1994, an explosion reduced to dust the Jewish Community Center of Buenos Aires killing 85 persons. Years later, Argentina’s Justice accused Iran of being responsible for the attack. Few former Persian officials are wanted by Interpol.
In January, the Argentine government signed a “Memorandum of understanding” with Iran, in the capital of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It included the participation of both countries Chancellors Héctor Timerman and Ali Akbar Salehi.
Although Fernández de Kirchner administration supposedly wants to move forward the investigation, a large number of victims’ families and Jewish community members do not believe so.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald