On July 18, Argentina will mark the 32nd anniversary of the brutal terrorist bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in
Buenos Aires.

Eighty-five innocent people were murdered, hundreds more were injured, and an entire nation was left with a wound that remains open to this day.

Over the years, I have written many articles about the AMIA bombing. Yet this one may be the most meaningful. For the first time in more than three decades, there are genuine reasons to believe that justice—long delayed—may finally begin to prevail.

Since 1994, the AMIA case has been a painful symbol of impunity. While the Argentine judiciary gathered an enormous body of evidence pointing to the responsibility of senior Iranian officials and Hezbollah operatives, the main suspects consistently refused to appear before Argentine courts, protected by a system that made a trial impossible in their absence.

That reality has finally begun to change.

In February 2025, Argentina enacted legislation allowing trials in absentia for the most serious crimes, including terrorism. This was a reform that B’nai B’rith—and I personally—have supported for many years. It recognizes a simple but powerful principle: justice cannot be held hostage by those who evade it.

The law ensures that defendants accused of crimes of extraordinary gravity cannot indefinitely prevent judicial proceedings simply by refusing to appear before the court.

The second historic step came in June 2025, when Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas applied the new law for the first time, authorizing a trial in absentia against 10 Iranian and Lebanese suspects accused of participating in the AMIA bombing, including Mohsen Rabbani, Ahmad Vahidi, Ali Akbar Velayati and Mohsen Rezai.

For the first time, those accused of orchestrating the deadliest terrorist attack in Latin America’s history can be publicly tried before an Argentine court, even if they continue to refuse to submit themselves to Argentine justice.

The trial itself will undoubtedly take time to organize. Given the magnitude of the case and the vast amount of evidence collected over more than three decades, many months will likely pass before the proceedings begin. But the importance of these developments extends far beyond Argentina.

From an international perspective, this case may establish a landmark precedent in the global fight against terrorism. It sends a clear message that those accused of mass terrorist attacks cannot secure permanent impunity simply by remaining beyond the reach of extradition.

It also places Argentina at the forefront of international efforts to combat terrorism through the rule of law, demonstrating that democratic institutions can continue pursuing accountability even decades after such atrocities were committed.

Domestically, the significance is equally profound. For survivors, for the families of the victims, and for Argentine society as a whole, this marks the transition from an endless investigation to a public judicial process. The evidence collected over decades, witness testimony, expert analysis and the full body of the prosecution’s case will finally be examined in open court.

That process itself has immense value. Justice is not only about punishment; it is also about establishing the truth.

The proceedings may also generate findings and legal reasoning that could prove valuable in future terrorism cases before courts in other jurisdictions, strengthening international cooperation and contributing to the development of legal responses to transnational terrorism.

A judicial ruling also carries a weight that no prosecutorial accusation alone can achieve. A judgment issued by an independent court, after public proceedings and the evaluation of evidence, becomes an enduring legal and historical record.

Will the accused ever appear before the court? Perhaps not.

But neither will they be able to travel the world with the same confidence. Any international travel may expose them to renewed extradition requests and increased legal scrutiny. The shadow of accountability will follow them in a way that it never has before.

None of this will erase the pain suffered by the victims or restore the lives that were taken on July 18, 1994.

But after 32 years, Argentina has taken a decisive step against impunity.

For the survivors. For the families who never stopped demanding justice. For Argentine society. And for everyone who believes that terrorism must never be rewarded with oblivion.

The long road to justice has finally begun.

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Adriana Camisar is an Argentine-born attorney with a master’s degree in international law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She has served as B’nai B’rith International’s Special Advisor on Latin American and United Nations Affairs since 2008 and is the Deputy Director of AJIRI, the American Jewish International Relations Institute. Since 2024, she has also been the Executive Director of ILAN – Israel Innovation Network.