International

Argentina will face reforms to promote an ‘trial in absence’ in the ‘AMIA case’

The Government of Argentina “works at full speed” to face reforms to promote a ‘trial in absence’ for the attack committed in 1994 against the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA).

The terrorist act left 85 dead and 300 injured and remains unpunished, since it is not possible to judge it with the current legislation.

After the ruling issued by Chamber II of the Federal Chamber of Cassation in ‘Case AMIA II’, which declared as a “crime against humanity” the attack on the headquarters of the AMIA and seals the then Iranian Government and the Lebanese militia Hizbulá of these events, the Argentine Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, made that announcement at a press conference.

Although local media reported that the Executive raised the anti-terrorist alert and strengthened security around embassies and airports, Bullrich did not talk about it and limited himself to loading the inks on former Peronist president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015).

According to Bullrich, Fernández “wanted to hide (Iran’s terrorist character) behind a nefarious memorandum that led us to negotiate with the terrorists instead of moving forward with the investigation.”

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With this he referred to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed in 2013, with the aim of bringing positions closer to move forward with the investigation. Despite its approval by the Argentine Congress, the measure was prosecuted and, in May 2014, the law that approved the pact was declared unconstitutional, which never entered into force, because the Iranian Parliament never ratified it.

“The truth is that yesterday was a great day for Argentina,” he said.

The ‘trial in absence’, which is not possible according to Argentine legislation, although there are several bills that seek to enable it, was one of the reforms suggested by the judges of the Criminal Cassation Chamber who issued the ruling.

In addition to being the largest terrorist attack on Argentine soil, the attack on the AMIA was also the largest on Jewish targets outside Israel since World War II.

The Jewish community in Argentina, the largest in Latin America and the fifth in the world, celebrated the ruling, although it demanded an end to impunity for its leaders.

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In a statement, the AMIA stated that it receives “in a favorable way” the claim that the attack “responded to a political decision” by Iran, executed by Hizbulah.

According to the entity, on several occasions the AMIA “has expressed that the judicial file accredits multiple evidence, and contains numerous evidences that allowed to establish, from the beginning of the investigation, the role of Iran and its active participation in the decision, organization and financing of the terrorist attack.”

However, he demanded that the intellectual and material responsible “be judged and serve their sentences for the atrocious crime against humanity they committed.”

“Impunity in the AMIA cause is a shameful mark for Argentine history and a debt of democracy,” the text added.

Therefore, and with three months to go before the 30th anniversary of the attack, the entity said that “it will not be satisfied with the arrival of widely known conclusions,” since it considers it “unacceptable” that local legislation is “the same” as at the beginning of the investigation, and asked for the development of “a legal framework that allows improving the conditions of investigation, intelligence, prevention and punishment.”

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Also the president of the Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations (DAIA), Jorge Knoblovits, opined that the ruling issued on Thursday was a cause for celebration for the Jewish community: “We must applaud these judges, who have had courage and probity.”

The DAIA recalled that “this is the line of investigation of the complaint of the prosecutor (Alberto) Nisman,” who led the investigations for 10 years until he was found dead at home on Sunday, January 18, 2015 in strange circumstances; the case, which was characterized as homicide in 2018, remains unresolved.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.