Today we remember with deep sorrow the 85 dead of the terrorist attack perpetrated on July 18, 1994 against the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), in Pasteur 633, City of Buenos Aires. That morning, a car bomb detonated at the AMIA headquarters, leaving hundreds of people wounded. This event, which occurred only two years after the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires (1992), represents the worst terrorist act on Argentine soil.

Every July 18, at 9:53 a.m., a national siren is activated in tribute to the victims: an act that not only commemorates a painful past, but also implies a renewed call for truth and justice. Since 1994, AMIA has led a tireless struggle for justice, seeking that the perpetrators and masterminds be brought to trial and serve the corresponding sentences for this crime against humanity.

The Argentine Government reaffirms today its firm stance against terrorism. In July 2024, the Argentine State declared the Hamas group as an international terrorist organization. In February, a bill was introduced in Congress to introduce trials in absentia, a tool to try fugitive defendants in cases of terrorism and crimes against humanity. The initiative was approved by Congress and became Law 27.784 in February of this year. Thanks to this reform, in June Justice enabled the first trial in absentia against ten defendants accused of the AMIA bombing -seven former Iranian and three Lebanese officials-, a historic step that aims to bring Justice a little closer to the victims.

In line with his stance against international terrorism, President Javier Milei has expressed his solidarity with the victims of the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel and his ongoing commitment to the release of the hostages still held hostage by Hamas. His firm stance against violent extremism reaffirms the defense of human rights and the condemnation of any form of violence against life and liberty.

During his last visit to Israel, the President emphasized the willingness to deepen bilateral cooperation in the areas of security and anti-Semitism. Thirty-one years after that attack, we continue to renew our commitment to the truth and the unconditional defense of life.