We’re no nearer to seeing any of the Iranian suspects wanted for the AMIA massacre in custody but some progress is being made towards making some of the Argentines responsible for obstructing the original investigation answer for their actions.

Former president Carlos Menem, former state intelligence service boss Hugo Anzorreguy, former federal judge Juan José Galeano and former senior federal police officer Jorge “El Fino” Palacios were among those indicted yesterday by Federal Judge Ariel Lijo on a range of charges relating to the cover up.

I have no doubt that those indicted did all in their power to debauch the original investigation and that it’s right to bring them to trial but there’s also no doubt that this indictment is very politically convenient for the present government of Argentina. Like the previous one headed by Néstor Kirchner, it has constructed Carlos Menem as being the fount of all the miseries Argentina currently suffers from and this in spite of the fact that neither the current president nor her husband seemed unduly troubled by either Menem or his policies when he actually held power.

The indictments of Menem and his collaborators allow the government to simultaneously show that it’s doing something about the AMIA massacre, persecute its political enemies, please local Jewish organizations and maintain its policy of “business practically as usual” with the government of Iran; a government whose defense portfolio is held by a man suspected of having carried out the massacre and  for whom there is an outstanding Interpol Red Notice.