[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 167 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 167

 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

                              May 5, 2015

     Mr. Rubio (for himself and Mr. Kirk) 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 AMIA bombing case has been marked by judicial misconduct, and the 
        investigation had reached an impasse in 2004;
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 
        Martiinez 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 Iranians Ali Fallahijan (former Iranian Intelligence Minster), Mohsen 
        Rabbani (former Iranian cultural attachee), Ahmad Reza Asghari (former 
        Iranian Diplomat), Ahmad Vahidi (former Iranian Minister of Defense), 
        Ali Akbar Velayati (former Iranian Foreign Minister), Mohsen Rezaee 
        (former Chief Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps), and 
        Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (former President of Iran) were named as 
        the Iranian suspects in the bombing;
Whereas 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 5 Iranian and 1 Lebanese 
        suspect in the 1994 AMIA attack on its most wanted list;
Whereas, in 2007, a Guyanese man, Abdul Kadir, plotted to blow up JFK airport in 
        New York and was, according to Mr. Nisman, ``the most important Iranian 
        agent'' in Guyana and influenced by Mohsen Rabbani;
Whereas there are countries in Latin America, especially the group known as the 
        Bolivarian Alliance (ALBA), that actively cooperate with the Government 
        of Iran and maintain special relations with the Islamic Republic at 
        various levels;
Whereas Iranians and other citizens from the Middle East have received passports 
        from Venezuela or purchased them in other countries of the region 
        associated with ALBA countries;
Whereas the Government of Iran has allegedly purchased uranium from Venezuela 
        and Bolivia;
Whereas Hezbollah, Iran's proxy, cooperates with drug cartels in Latin America;
Whereas, in January of 2013, the Argentinian agreement with Iran set up a 
        ``truth commission'' to investigate who was ``really'' responsible for 
        the bombing, despite the fact that Iran remains the main suspect in such 
        attack;
Whereas Alberto Nisman was invited to testify before Congress in February 2013, 
        but was prevented by the Government of Argentina, who denied him 
        permission to travel to Washington, DC, to testify;
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, on January 13, 2015, Alberto Nisman alleged in a complaint that 
        Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Minister of 
        Foreign Relations Heector 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 Alberto Nisman alleged that Iranian oil was to flow to Argentina in 
        exchange for Iran to purchase large quantities of Argentine grain and 
        had evidence that reportedly included wire-taps of phone calls ``between 
        people close to Mrs. Kirchner'' and a number of Iranians, including Mr. 
        Rabbani, the Iranian diplomat;
Whereas Alberto Nisman was scheduled to present his new findings to the 
        Argentinian Congress on January 19, 2015;
Whereas Alberto Nisman was found shot in the head in his apartment located in 
        Buenos Aires on January 18, 2015;
Whereas, Diego Lagomarsino, the prosecutor's office employee who last saw 
        Alberto Nisman alive and had provided Mr. Nisman with the revolver that 
        was found at Mr. Nisman's residence, stated that Mr. Nisman had told him 
        that ``it [the revolver] was for security'' and that the previous day 
        Antonio Jaimie Stiusso (former head of Argentina's Intelligence service) 
        had called, warning him to ``take care of his [Nisman's] security detail 
        and his daughters' safety'';
Whereas officials of the Government of Argentina continue to discredit Mr. 
        Nisman, attempting to ruin his reputation;
Whereas the President of Argentina continues to raise unfounded hypotheses with 
        regard to Mr. Nisman's findings, including imaginary conspiracies she 
        has suggested were orchestrated by United States hedge funds and other 
        entities she considers ``hostile'' to the President of Argentina;
Whereas an Argentinean Federal court dismissed Nisman's findings against the 
        President and other officials and later the accusations were dropped by 
        Javier De Luca, another Federal prosecutor;
Whereas that move has raised questions in Argentina about the objectivity of Mr. 
        De Luca, given his closeness to a group of Ms. Kirchner's supporters;
Whereas the ongoing official investigation into Alberto Nisman's death has yet 
        to determine 2 months later whether his death is a suicide or a 
        homicide;
Whereas an independent investigation launched by Alberto Nisman's family has 
        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''; 
        and
Whereas no one has been brought to justice for the death of Alberto Nisman, nor 
        have any of the named Iranian suspects for the AMIA bombing: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) offers its sincerest condolences to the family of 
        Argentinian prosecutor Alberto Nisman;
            (2) recognizes Alberto Nisman's courageous work in 
        dedicating his life to the investigation of the bombing of the 
        Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires, 
        Argentina, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 300;
            (3) calls for a swift, transparent, and internationally 
        backed investigation into Alberto Nisman's tragic death;
            (4) encourages the public release of the results of the 
        investigation, including the forensic and pathological reports 
        by the government, which would show whether Alberto Nisman took 
        his own life, or if his death is a homicide;
            (5) urges the President to directly offer United States 
        technical assistance to the Government of Argentina in solving 
        the death of Alberto Nisman, as well as the ongoing 
        investigation of the AMIA bombing;
            (6) expresses serious concern about Iran's terrorist 
        network in Argentina, the United States, and all of the Western 
        Hemisphere, mindful of the findings of Mr. Nisman's 
        investigation and reports on this matter, and encourages 
        continued investigations of Iranian terrorist networks based on 
        his work;
            (7) urges an independent investigation into the findings of 
        Mr. Nisman regarding the events that led to the memorandum 
        signed between Argentina and Iran;
            (8) likewise expresses serious concerns about attempts by 
        President Cristina Kirchner and her government to discredit Mr. 
        Nisman and raise unfounded hypotheses on Mr. Nisman's findings 
        and death findings while the work of the courts on this matter 
        still continues; and
            (9) urges the President of the United States to continue to 
        monitor Iran's activities in Latin America and the Caribbean as 
        it is mandated by the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere 
        Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-220).
                                 <all>