The Bonavero Institute publishes new Report NO. 1/2022: 'Expert Witness Statement: A Submission to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the AMIA Case ('Active Memory Civil Association v. Argentina')'

The Bonavero Report 1/2022 titled 'Expert Witness Statement: A Submission to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the AMIA Case ('Active Memory Civil Association v. Argentina')' was authored by Professor Martin Scheinin (British Academy Global Professor at the Bonavero Institute). It was edited by Dr Christos Kypraios (Programmes Manager at the Bonavero Institute) and Zaki Rehman (Research Assistant at the Bonavero Institute). 

The Report consists of an expert witness statement at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the AMIA case (Active Memory Civil Association v. Argentina) that originates from the 18 July 1994 terrorist attack in Buenos Aires against the headquarters of the Israeli-Argentinian Mutual Association. Victims and family members of the victims of the attack filed on 16 July 1999 an application before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, alleging breaches by the state of Argentina of its obligations to prevent and investigate the attack and to provide remedies to the victims or their families. The Commission issued its report on the merits on 14 July 2020, initating the case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

At the request of the Commission, the Court accepted to receive a written expert witness statement from Professor Martin Scheinin. The relatively brief expert witness statement addresses current standards provided by international human rights law concerning the human rights of victims of terrorism and states’ positive obligations to prevent, investigate and remedy acts of terrorism. One important aspect of the case and the expert witness statement concerns accountability and human rights obligations in respect of acts or omissions, including eventual coverups, of a state’s intelligence agencies. In these issues, the expert witness statement is expected to be of wider significance beyond the AMIA case itself.