B'nai B'rith International (BBI) praises Argentine President Cristina Fernandez's request that Iran surrender suspects in the June 14, 1994 bombing of the Argentina-Israelite Mutual Association (AIMA) building that left 85 dead and 300 injured. "I would ask the Islamic Republic of Iran in accordance with international law ... accept that Argentine justice can put on trial ... those citizens who have been accused," President Fernandez said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 23.
BBI Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin, in New York for meetings surrounding the opening of the UNGA, stated, "We applaud President Fernandez's initiative to seek justice and support her entirely. The fact that this process has dragged on for more than 14 years is deplorable. Hopefully, those responsible will be held accountable and will have to answer for their actions."
The attack struck the largest Latin American Jewish community and injured more than 300 people. Despite an 800-page report by the Argentine state prosecutor in 2006 detailing the involvement of Hezbollah, an Iran-supported group, in the bombing, a trial has been stalled by Iran's failure to extradite the accused and bring them to justice more than 14 years after the attack.
For 14 years, BBI has pressed officials to follow every lead, and urged officials that those responsible must be prosecuted.
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