III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 354 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the courageous work and life 

of Argentinian prosecutor Alberto Nisman, and calling for a swift and 

transparent investigation into his tragic death in Buenos Aires on January 18, 2015. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 7, 2017 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the courageous 

work and life of Argentinian prosecutor Alberto Nisman, 

and calling for a swift and transparent investigation 

into his tragic death in Buenos Aires on January 18, 

2015. 

Whereas the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 18, 

1994, killed 85 people and wounded more than 300; 

Whereas the investigation of the AMIA bombing had been 

marked by grave judicial misconduct, and the case had 

reached an impasse in 2004; 


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•SRES 354 IS 

Whereas, in September 2004, Alberto Nisman was appointed 

as the Special Prosecutor in charge of the 1994 AMIA 

bombing investigation; 

Whereas, on October 25, 2006, Argentine prosecutors Alberto 

Nisman and Marcelo Martı ́nez Burgos formally accused 

the Government of Iran of directing the bombing, and the 

Hezbollah militia of carrying it out; 

Whereas Ibrahim Hussain Berro, a member of the terrorist 

group Hezbollah, was identified as the AMIA bomber; 

Whereas Iranian nationals Ali Fallahijan (former Iranian intelligence minster), Mohsen Rabbani (former Iranian cultural attache ́), Ahmad Reza Asghari (former Iranian diplomat), Ahmad Vahidi (former Iranian defense minister), 

Ali Akbar Velayati (former Iranian foreign minister), 

Mohsen Rezaee (former chief commander of the Iranian 

Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps), and Ali Akbar 

Hashemi Rafsanjani (former President of Iran) were 

named as suspects in the bombing; 

Whereas Lebanese national Imad Fayez Moughnieh (former 

head of Hezbollah’s external security) was named as a 

suspect in the bombing; 

Whereas, in November 2007, Interpol voted to put these 5 

Iranian and 1 Lebanese suspects in the 1994 AMIA attack on its most wanted list, and reportedly has extended 

these red notices in July, 2017; 

Whereas, in 2007, Guyanese national Abdul Kadir plotted to 

blow up John F. Kennedy International Airport in New 

York and was, according to Mr. Nisman, ‘‘the most important Iranian agent’’ in Guyana and influenced by 

Mohsen Rabbani; 


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•SRES 354 IS 

Whereas, in May 2013, prosecutor Alberto Nisman published 

a 500-page indictment accusing Iran of establishing terrorist networks throughout Latin America, including in 

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, 

Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname, dating 

back to the 1980s; 

Whereas, according to the Department of State’s 2016 Report on Terrorism, Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy terrorist organization, continues to maintain an active presence in the 

Western Hemisphere as well as ‘‘some financial supporters, facilitators and sympathizers’’; 

Whereas, in January 2013, the Government of Argentina 

under then-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner 

agreed with Iran in a Memorandum of Understanding to 

set up a so-called ‘‘truth commission’’ to investigate who 

was ‘‘really’’ responsible for the bombing, despite the fact 

that Iran and its proxy actors were and remain the only 

suspects in the attack; 

Whereas, in May 2014, an Argentine court found this Memorandum of Understanding to be unconstitutional; 

Whereas prosecutor Alberto Nisman was invited to testify before the United States Congress in February 2013, but 

was prevented from doing so by the Government of Argentina, who denied him permission to travel to Washington, DC; 

Whereas the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation 

provided technical assistance and cooperated with Argentina law enforcement officials in the AMIA bombing investigation; 

Whereas, on January 13, 2015, prosecutor Alberto Nisman 

alleged in a complaint that then-Argentinian President 


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Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and then-Minister of 

Foreign Relations He ́ctor Timerman conspired to cover 

up Iranian involvement in the 1994 terrorist bombing, 

and reportedly agreed to negotiate immunity for Iranian 

suspects and help get their names removed from the 

Interpol list; 

Whereas prosecutor Alberto Nisman claimed that he had evidence of a ‘‘sophisticated criminal plan,’’ reportedly including wire-taps and phone calls ‘‘between people close 

to Mrs. Kirchner’’ and a number of Iranians, including 

Mohsen Rabbani, showing a planned exchange of Iranian 

oil for purchasing rights to Argentine grain to revive Argentina’s economy; 

Whereas prosecutor Alberto Nisman was scheduled to present 

his new findings to the Argentinian Congress on January 

19, 2015; 

Whereas prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found shot in the 

head in his apartment in Buenos Aires on January 18, 

2015; 

Whereas officials of the Government of Argentina under 

then-Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner 

continued to discredit Mr. Nisman after his suspicious 

death, attempting to ruin his reputation; 

Whereas then-Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de 

Kirchner created unfounded hypotheses with regard to 

Mr. Nisman’s findings, including conspiracies she suggested were orchestrated by United States hedge funds 

and other entities she considers ‘‘hostile’’ to the President of Argentina; 

Whereas, in May 2015, an Argentine Federal court had dismissed Nisman’s findings against Ms. Kirchner and other 


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officials and later the accusations were dropped by Javier 

De Luca, another Federal prosecutor; 

Whereas that move raised questions in Argentina about the 

objectivity of Mr. De Luca, given his closeness to a group 

of Ms. Kirchner’s supporters; 

Whereas an independent investigation launched by Alberto 

Nisman’s family released its own report by forensic experts and forensic pathologists showing that Mr. 

Nisman’s death was not an accident or suicide, including 

claims that ‘‘the prosecutor had been shot in the back of 

the head’’, that ‘‘no gun powder residue was found on his 

hands’’, and that ‘‘Mr. Nisman’s body had been moved 

to the bathroom once he was shot’’; 

Whereas, in September 2016, Argentine President Mauricio 

Macri stated that ‘‘it’s hard to believe that Nisman committed suicide. There are too many situations, indications, realities of those hours, those days, that don’t 

match with a suicide.’’; 

Whereas, in September 2016, Argentine President Mauricio 

Macri called for ‘‘a definitive investigation’’ into the 

death of Alberto Nisman, saying: ‘‘I want to generate the 

conditions, which I think I’m doing, to allow our justice 

system to freely investigate what really happened.’’; 

Whereas, on September 22, 2017, forensic investigators of 

the Argentine Federal Police submitted a report to a 

Federal court concluding that slain prosecutor Alberto 

Nisman did not commit suicide, but rather was drugged, 

beaten, and fatally shot in the head on January 18, 

2015; 

Whereas, on December 7, 2017, former Argentine President 

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was charged with treaVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:24 Dec 08, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR354.IS SR354

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son for attempting to cover up Iran’s role in the 1994 

AMIA bombing; and 

Whereas no one yet has been brought to justice for the death 

of Alberto Nisman, nor have any of the named Iranian 

suspects for the AMIA bombing faced prosecution: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) offers its sincerest condolences to the family 

3 of Argentinian prosecutor Alberto Nisman; 

4 (2) recognizes Alberto Nisman’s courageous 

5 work in dedicating his life to the investigation of the 

6 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Associa7 tion (AMIA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which 

8 killed 85 people and wounded more than 300; 

9 (3) applauds Argentine President Mauricio 

10 Macri for calling for a swift, transparent, and inde11 pendent investigation into Alberto Nisman’s tragic 

12 death; 

13 (4) recognizes the arduous and technical work 

14 of the Argentine National Gendarmerie in reviewing 

15 evidence to produce credible, evidence-based find16 ings; 

17 (5) encourages the public release of the results 

18 of the investigation, including the forensic and path19 ological reports by the government, which would 


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1 show whether Alberto Nisman took his own life, or 

2 if his death is a homicide; 

3 (6) commends the Government of Argentina for 

4 exemplifying the rule of law and the importance of 

5 an independent justice system; 

6 (7) urges the President of the United States to 

7 directly offer United States technical assistance to 

8 the Government of Argentina in solving the death of 

9 Alberto Nisman, as well as the ongoing investigation 

10 of the AMIA bombing; 

11 (8) expresses serious concern about Iran’s ter12 rorist networks in Argentina and all of the Western 

13 Hemisphere, mindful of the findings of Mr. 

14 Nisman’s investigation and reports on this matter, 

15 and encourages continued investigations of Iranian 

16 terrorist networks based on his work; 

17 (9) urges an independent investigation into the 

18 findings of Mr. Nisman regarding the events that 

19 led to the memorandum signed between Argentina 

20 and Iran; 

21 (10) likewise expresses serious concerns about 

22 attempts by former Argentine President Cristina 

23 Fernandez de Kirchner and her government to dis24 credit Mr. Nisman and raise unfounded hypotheses 

25 on Mr. Nisman’s AMIA findings and the cirVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:24 Dec 08, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR354.IS SR354

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•SRES 354 IS 

1 cumstances of Mr. Nisman’s death while the work of 

2 the courts on this matter still continues; and 

3 (11) urges the President of the United States 

4 to continue to monitor Iran’s activities in Latin 

5 America and the Caribbean as it is mandated by the 

6 Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 

7 2012 (Public Law 112–220). 

Æ 


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