The Association of Argentine Journalistic Entities (ADEPA) in conjunction with the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) and the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA) They left an exhibition inaugurated, in which the covers of the different newspapers of Buenos Aires and also those of other provinces are exhibited after the attack of July 18, 1994, which caused 85 dead and about 300 injuredin the entrance hall of the Buenos Aires City Legislature, at Perú 130.
As exactly three decades pass since the attack, the tribute exhibition is called “AMIA: The role of journalism in 30 years of searching for the truth” and its purpose is to “highlight and value the key role that the Argentine press has played in the demand for justice and the fight against impunity over the years.” Until tomorrow at 7 pm, it can be visited in the Legislature.
The Argentine Justice, through a ruling in April of this year by the Criminal Cassation Chamber, declared the incident against the AMIA headquarters as a “crime against humanity”, which constituted a serious violation of human rights and confirmed that Iranian citizens were involved in the brutal attack against the building of the Jewish mutual society located on Pasteur street 600. But there are still no convictions.
That’s why Amos Linetzky, President of AMIAAfter thanking ADEPA and the City legislators who promoted this tribute, he highlighted that “the tireless work of the family members and the complaints on the one hand and the work of journalism on the other did not allow the cause to remain in the background over the years.” forgot”. And he criticized the inaction of the State: “Contrast with the inaction of a State that decided to sit back, which has not risen to the occasion. It is only understandable why, after 30 years, there has been no progress in the case. It is not understood why in the 90s a Government allowed two attacksone after the other, with very similar characteristics as recently highlighted by the ruling of the Court of Cassation. It is not understood why the case has a temporary judge and not a permanent one.
“The State did not appoint a permanent federal judge to be in charge of it”he insisted and pointed out that it seems incredible to him that at this point “the Executive and Judicial Powers cannot come to an agreement on such a fundamental cause. We do not have adequate legislation or specialized judges like in other countries that allow sharing information with other intelligence agencies. We have the same Criminal Procedure Code from 30 years ago. There is a prosecutor’s office that is only investigating this case but it still cannot give answers, we do not know who provided the explosives, who parked the car a block from the Pasteur headquarters, the role of this suspiciously appearing carapintada group in the context of the attack.”
He also highlighted the role of journalism and said that “on July 19, newspaper headlines will say the same thing about the attack that occurred 30 years ago, but we trust that this can change.”
The event was opened by the deputies of the City Graciela Ocaña and Claudia Neirawho was the driving force behind the initiative. Neira praised “the social work of AMIA,” which is always “in favor of social justice, as we Peronists say.” She added that “this terrible attack suffered by the Jewish community continues to hurt us.”
The head of ADEPA, Martín Etchevers, also spoke. “ADEPA and its associated media, as part of Argentine society, We live shocked, and we continue to be shocked, by that brutal event that will be three decades old in a few days. A fact that today, as then, commits us to the search for truth and justice,” he said.
“The Court of Cassation has proven that Iran was behind the attack that caused 85 deaths and about 300 injuries, and one of its judges has called for legal reforms so that the accused can be tried in absentia. This means that the attack, the largest ever perpetrated on Argentine soil, remains unpunished,” he said.
“And it is against this impunity that we must rebel, and we have done so from our role in society: informing, denouncing, investigating. Supporting the claims of the victims’ families on our pages, in our radio and television newscasts, and now on our websites, but always with the same objective: to get to the truth and punish those responsible,” he described.
“These are our functions: to continue investigating, to remember the events, to remember the victims, to reiterate the lack of justice and impunity, to sustain the memory as many times as necessary. Historical memory always begins to be written in the media. The media are the living history of society and its citizens. Even more so in cases where justice is elusive, and it is essential to keep them on the public agenda so that they do not die in oblivion and impunity. We saw this with the AMIA case, as well as in so many others. From that of María Soledad Morales or that of the soldier Omar Carrasco. Or more recently, that of the disappearance of Cecilia Strzyzowski to the drama of these days that shakes Argentines,” he added.
Alejandro Zuchowicki, general secretary of the DAIA, for his part expressed that there are “85 victims’ dreams and desires. Empty chairs at their tables. Families whose future was amputated. And there is a complicit forgetfulness of some sectors.”
He also appreciated that in the midst of a time of “fake news with which we are overwhelmed, the ADEPA media informs us” and that “journalism was always there to give visibility to the case. The cause, after 30 years, is not only in the Jews, but extends to the entire society.”
“We celebrate this exhibition that strengthens the truth and reflects the aftermath of the attack. Decades after the event, we continue in the unclassifiable search for truth and justice. Justice, justice, you will pursue,” he concluded.
The exhibition will be open to the public in the upper floor lobby of the Buenos Aires Legislature starting on July 18.
Photos: Gustavo Gavotti
