They are members of the resistance fighting the regime from exile. Prosecutor Sebastián Basso interviewed them in France after several months of diplomatic efforts. Judge Daniel Rafecas is preparing to evaluate the elevation of ten accused individuals to a trial in absentia.
By Iago Vieyra
The investigation into the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) has added four testimonies from Iranian dissidents. These statements are expected to hold significant evidentiary value for the trial in absentia against those accused of planning the terrorist attack that killed 85 people on July 18, 1994.
According to information obtained by Infobase from various sources with access to the judicial file, the testimonies were taken last week in a town on the outskirts of Paris, France, following several months of diplomatic negotiations.
The identities of the four witnesses are being kept confidential for the time being, due to security concerns. This outlet was able to confirm that they are veteran members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the political coalition led by the People’s Mujahedin of Iran organization. All are opponents of the ayatollahs’ regime and are primarily refugees in France and other European countries.
Over the course of several days, the four dissidents gave in-person testimony in France before Prosecutor Sebastián Basso and a team of investigators from the AMIA Special Prosecutor’s Office (UFI-AMIA), which is handling the prosecution in the case overseen by Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas.
The testimonies took place under French law and in cooperation with that country’s judiciary. All the witnesses requested to speak in their native language, Farsi. This required the involvement of several translators across different languages, as there is no direct interpreter from Persian to Spanish.
The hearings began to be arranged earlier this year through an international rogatory letter sent by Argentina’s Attorney General Eduardo Casal to the Foreign Ministry. The diplomatic agency then pursued negotiations with France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which in turn coordinated with the local judiciary.
As of the publication of this article, French authorities had not yet forwarded the transcripts and recordings of the testimonies to the Argentine courts. Once they do, a process will begin to evaluate the content of the statements and cross-check them against the other evidence held by the UFI-AMIA.
Witnesses and Experts
According to sources consulted by Infobase, the Iranians testified both as witnesses and, in a sense, as “experts.”
Before going into exile, they reportedly had direct access and personal contact with regime authorities, while also possessing “first-hand” information about the days when the AMIA attack was planned.
To put their potential knowledge into perspective, one source consulted for this article noted that NCRI Iranians were “the first to warn Argentina, just days after the attack, that it had been carried out by the Iranian regime.”
It should be recalled that the accused who will face trial in absentia are ten individuals, including former Iranian government officials and members of the Hezbollah organization.
According to the UFI-AMIA, the decision to carry out the terrorist plan was made on August 14, 1993, in the Iranian city of Mashhad, during a meeting of the regime’s “Special Affairs Committee.”
That meeting was attended by the highest-ranking Iranian officials, including then-President Ali Akbar Rafsanjani (now deceased), Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian (the latter two are currently charged in the case), and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who issued the executive order authorizing the operation.
The 10 accused in the AMIA bombingArgentina and the Iranian Resistance
Founded in 1981 among others by its current president Maryam Rajavi, the National Council of Resistance of Iran describes itself as the “Parliament of Iran in exile.” It advocates for the establishment of a “democratic republic based on the separation of religion and state” and gender equality, as stated on its official website.
In recent times, it has strengthened its political ties with Argentina. This year, national deputies Lilia Lemoine, Sabrina Ajmechet, and Sofía Brambilla attended the international summit “Free Iran 2025” organized by the NCRI in France. In 2024, legislator Maximiliano Ferraro also participated.
While continuing their opposition from exile, Iranian refugees remain targets of the ayatollahs’ regime. “Most of the attacks carried out from Iran are directed against them,” explained a source familiar with the history of the conflict and closely following recent events.
In fact, the four witnesses who have now testified in the AMIA case have faced a fatwa for years the Supreme Leader’s decree ordering their assassination for their actions. Years ago, they were imprisoned, and some of their family members were killed in terrorist attacks.
However, over the decades, blood has been shed on both sides. The People’s Mujahedin of Iran organization, which leads the NCRI coalition, was designated a terrorist organization by the United States until 2012 and carried out attacks that left thousands of dead.
Taken from: infobae.com
