Argentina advances bill to compensate AMIA bombing victims

A bill to compensate victims of the 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing was advanced by two Argentine government committees.

On Tuesday, a joint meeting of the Senate Budget Committee and Justice and Criminal Issues Committee agreed unanimously to send the measure to the entire Senate. The Senate was expected to take up the bill on Wednesday in its first session of the season.

The plan, which was drafted by the government’s Executive Committee, establishes a one-time compensation for the estates of the 85 people killed and lower compensations for those who suffered “extremely grievous” injuries and “grievous” injuries. Hundreds were injured in the bombing.

Also Tuesday, Argentina’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the government must immediately compensate the family of one AMIA victim. The court rejected an appeal by the state against a Federal Administrative Appeal Court ruling in favor of the claim presented by Ruth Myriam Faifman de Tenenbaum, widow of Nahum Javier Tenenbaum.

The Supreme Court established a compensation of about $450,000 plus interest for the Tenenbaum family. The amount for victims under the bill being considered has yet to be determined, though some rumors have cited a considerably lower sum.

In 2011 the parliament ruled in favor of compensation for the victims of the 1992 Israeli Embassy bombing, with $225,000 in the case of death and $158,000 for dramatic and severe injuries.