(Terrorism) Conviction of American (Lori Berenson) in Peru Upheld

[Tab]

IMA, Peru - The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has upheld the conviction and 20-year sentence of Lori Berenson, a New York native imprisoned in Peru for terrorist collaboration with Marxist guerrillas, President Alejandro Toledo said Thursday.

Toledo told Radioprogramas radio the Costa Rica-based court had "ratified the sentence and I once again salute the court members. It is undoubtedly a great satisfaction and tranquility for Peruvian justice and all Peruvians."

His comments were a response to unconfirmed news reports about the ruling, which the court has yet to officially announce.

The human rights court, the legal arm of the Organization of American States, last week debated Berenson's appeal of her conviction in a civilian retrial in 2001.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&ncid=535&e=3&u=/ap/20041202/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/peru_berenson

[rodeodance]

1. I know nothing of this case. Is it true what the courts say--or is she

innocent?


....Berenson, 35, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (news - web sites) dropout, has spent nine years in Peruvian prisons. Her scheduled release date is in 2015.

Berenson denies any wrongdoing and maintains she is a political prisoner whose concern for social justice was distorted by authorities to look like a terrorist agenda.

Jose Luis Sandoval, Berenson's lawyer in Peru, told The Associated Press that the court had been expected to notify her family and the Peruvian government of its decision on Thursday but the legal team had received no notification that it had done so. Phone calls to Berenson's family in New York City were not answered. ........

[Tab]

3. From what I remember

Lori got picked up some 9 years ago for supposedly heading up a terrorist organization (or, rather, what the Peruvian government asserts was a terrorist organization, Lori claims to have been trying to help the Peruvian people).

What she was picked up for was just part of the issue, the other half has been what seems to have been sort of kangaroo courts in Peru, pro forma proceedings where it was obvious they were going to convict her anyway and were just going through the motions.

So it's become a bigger issue than just what one person was doing down there, and there have been efforts to (1) get her a decent trial and (2) get her out.

I really have no idea whether or not she did do anything, whether she was a starry-eyed do-gooder, or was involved in anything. There is a site run by her family and friends, which I think is freelori.org although you could probably search for more info. It's not too obscure - the case pops up every once in a while as something happens so you should be able to find info pretty easily on it. Finding the truth might be a different matter.

[Say_What]

4. Website and article--Clinton asked for a fair trial--176 signed letter...

http://www.freelori.org/whoislori.html

http://www.commondreams.org/views/060300-101.htm

http://www.freelori.org/gov/congress/house/99_houselettertoclinton.html

[Tab]

6. Wikipedia entry too

There's a halfway-decent Wikipedia entry on the case as well. I guess she was "posing" as a journalist for a mag... hard to say.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Berenson

[northzax]

5. Lori Berenson made the classic NotreAmericano mistake

she associated with Marxist Guerillas (Sendero Luminoso were fucking brutal, if you recall, MRTA were one of the follow on groups) believing that the US Right of Free Association extended to Peru. Guess what? It doesn't. In the view of Peru's legal system, she gave aid and comfort to a brutal terrorist enemy that was killing civilians and government workers like crazy. It's the Peruvian equivalent of saying "Look, I didn't actually destroy the World Trade Center, I just let the guys sleep in my basement, use my Amex to buy the plane tickets, enrolled them in my flgiht school, took them to my doctor, hid them from the police and the like. I mean, sure they were al Quaeda and I knew that, but they seemed like such nice fellows, and the government is so unfair."

The US government, conducting "military tribunals" of terrorism suspects, is hardly in a position to argue her case.

Sorry, she got off easy. If she was Peruvian, she'd never see the outside of her jail cell except in a pine box.

[faithfull]

2. Bushers worried about foreign sovereignty over US citizens shold know!

They should be infuriated!

[Downtown Hound]

7. Very sad

I really think this woman is innocent and is being punished for refusing to give up her beliefs. And there is no way that her trial was fair. There is a video of Peru's now imprisoned former spymaster rigging it. A sad day for human rights, unfortunately I'm getting used to disappointment.

[JohnLocke]

8. Kick