Argentinean family sues Teheran over Jewish center bombing

Int'l Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists: "We're committed to carrying out a legal struggle against terror-sponsoring countries."

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
argentina jewish center (photo credit: Courtesy)
argentina jewish center
(photo credit: Courtesy)
An Argentinean family is suing Iran for $3 million for its role in the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires over 14 years ago. Eighty-five people were killed and more than 200 were wounded in the July 18, 1994, bombing, the single worst terrorist attack on Argentinean soil. The blast leveled the seven-story building, a symbol of Argentina's 200,000-strong Jewish population. The 10 million pesos civil suit was filed in an Argentinean court by the family of one of the victims, in the wake of an Argentinean prosecutor's report linking Iran to the bombing, said Alex Hartman, president of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. Since the report was released, a series of international arrest warrants were issued against Iranian officials for the joint Iranian-Hizbullah attack, Hartman noted. Argentinean prosecutors had previously identified a Hizbullah activist with Iranian connections as the suicide bomber who carried out the attack. A resolution passed by the US House of Representatives noted that Ibrahim Hussein Berro reportedly had been in contact with the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires. The lawsuit was the first of its kind filed against Iran in Argentina, Hartman said, and followed a conference the association held in Buenos Aires last May. "We are committed to carrying out a legal struggle against terror-sponsoring countries, as well as those who finance terror groups," he said. Founded in 1969, the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists strives to advance human rights. It aims to prevent war crimes, punish war criminals, block weapons of mass destruction, and promote international cooperation based on the rule of law and the fair implementation of international covenants and conventions.