Murdered Judge of the AMIA Case Becomes Subject of New American Series

The life and murder of Alberto Nisman, the investigating judge of the case regarding the bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Argentina, who believed Iran was involved in the explosion and was killed in his home three years ago, has become the subject of a new television series in the United States. The series, focusing on the final years of Nisman’s life, is being produced by the American company Netflix, likely consisting of six episodes. The Jerusalem Post has reported that the necessary preparations for the series production have begun, with British director Justin Webster chosen to direct the miniseries. According to the report, the California-based Netflix is conducting further interviews with Nisman’s daughters, relatives, and colleagues to make the series somewhat documentary-like. As reported by the Spanish art website Excitonia, Lara and Kala, Nisman’s two daughters, have been interviewed to help develop the series script and will accompany the production team. In the last months of his life, Alberto Nisman accused the then President of Argentina of colluding with Iran to cover up evidence in the AMIA bombing investigation. The 1994 bombing at the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires resulted in the deaths of 85 people, over 330 injuries, and complete destruction of the building; two years prior, the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires had also been targeted in a similar deadly explosion. Israel has consistently attributed the planning of these two bombings to Iran and believes that Hezbollah was the executor of these terrorist plots; a claim that Iran has continuously denied, although Interpol issued international arrest warrants against several senior Iranian officials and Imad Mughniyeh, the then-head of Hezbollah's external operations. After decades of twists and turns in the investigation, during which several Argentine presidents changed, Judge Alberto Nisman concluded that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the eighth president after the AMIA bombing, was attempting to cover up Iran's involvement in the investigation by colluding with the Iranian government; a claim that Kirchner has vehemently denied to this day. However, Nisman was murdered just hours before he was scheduled to testify in the Argentine Senate regarding his investigation findings, in the early hours of January 18, 2015, in the bathroom of his home in Buenos Aires. He was 51 years old. The Argentine judiciary officially confirmed about three years after Nisman's murder that he had been murdered, contrary to initial statements from some officials that he had committed suicide, although Kirchner has maintained from the outset that Nisman did not commit suicide but was killed by 'rogue elements' in her country's intelligence service. Nisman's murder sparked deep anger among his compatriots; over 400,000 Argentinians participated in memorial demonstrations for him, and subsequent protests against the 'corrupt government' and Kirchner, who was president for eight years, were held multiple times. After the presidential election in Argentina, which took place eleven months after Nisman's murder, the new president Mauricio Macri promised that the AMIA case, which has now been ongoing for about 24 years, would reach a conclusion, but so far, only the intentionality of Nisman's murder has been established, and the main perpetrators have not even been identified. This is the first time a major American film production company is creating a series on this subject. The California-based Netflix has not yet provided details about the main cast of the series. According to the Jerusalem Post, four years ago, renowned Israeli director Amos Gitai, a winner of prestigious global awards, began producing a film about Nisman's investigations and life related to the AMIA bombing case, but Nisman's murder halted the film's production. A few months after Nisman's murder, a Hollywood producer, who was also Jewish like Alberto Nisman, attempted to make a film about Nisman's life and murder titled 'The Prosecutor,' but according to the Jerusalem Post, this producer stated that he received death threats. The Jerusalem Post did not mention the name of this producer. Netflix provides its production programs online to users who subscribe to this network for a small monthly fee. While Netflix has only entered the realm of producing series, documentaries, and entertainment programs about five years ago, it has become a powerful competitor to companies with long histories in these fields, and according to the latest data, its user base has increased to 118 million, including 55 million in the United States.