In Argentina, the prosecutor investigating the 1994 AMIA bombing, has asked a judge to declare as unconstitutional an agreement between Argentina and Iran to jointly investigate the bombing which is blamed on Tehran.
Alberto Nisman presented his appeal to a federal judge on Wednesday. The memorandum of understanding, approved earlier this year by the Argentine Congress at the behest of the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, foresees the establishment of a joint Argentinean-Iranian Truth Commission
The commission violates rights protected by Argentina’s constitution including judicial independence, the guarantee of due process, the right to effective judicial protection and the right to justice for victims, Nisman's motion says.
In 2007, Argentine authorities secured Interpol arrest warrants for five senior Iranian officials and a Lebanese believe to have masterminded the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center, in which 85 people were killed.
The agreement with Iran was denounced both by the Argentine and the international Jewish community, and the World Jewish Congress and other Jewish groups have repeatedly urged Argentina to rescind it.
Claudio Epelman, Latin American Jewish Congress executive director, declared: "This is a new step on the path to achieve justice. Nearly 20 years ago, 85 people were killed in Buenos Aires and yet those responsible for this terrible crime have not been arrested."
