Free Lori
FOUR YEARS OF WRONGFUL
INCARCERATION IN PERUVIAN PRISON: LORI BERENSON IS THE ONLY U.S. CITIZEN BEING
HELD AS A POLITICAL PRISONER BY A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.
In the early evening
of Thursday, November 30, 1995, Lori Berenson was pulled off a public bus in
downtown Lima by Peruvian DINCOTE anti-terrorism police. Working as an
accredited journalist, she had just left a session of the Peruvian Congress
where she was researching articles on women's rights, poverty in Peru, and
decentralization. On January 11, 1996,
she was found guilty of treason against the Fatherland of Peru by a secret and
"faceless" military tribunal in which she had no due process and
could not defend herself. Lori is currently being held at the Socabaya prison
in Arequipa, Peru. She spends 22 hours
a day in a 6 by 10 foot all concrete cell enduring almost total social
isolation. From the moment of her arrest she has maintained her innocence to
the preposterous charges against her.
A human rights delegation, led by the Office of the Americas,
succeeded in visiting Lori in the Socabaya prison in March, 1999. Patricia Todd, a member of the delegation,
commented that while Lori continues to suffer from respiratory and circulatory
problems, she remains emotionally strong and clearly reiterated her innocence.
The Committee to
Free Lori Berenson (CFLB) works to obtain Lori's release.
They recently
opened their national headquarters in Washington, DC. CFLB is a member of the Latin American Working Group, an umbrella
organization of over 60 ngo's. Supporters stress that it has been four years
and the U.S. government needs to do more to help Lori. They urge activists to come out stronger
than ever to secure her release.
NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS
HAVE BEEN MADE TO OBTAIN LORI'S RELEASE
Last July, the
Peruvian government withdrew from the Inter-American Human Rights Court of the
Organization of American States. Lori's case was scheduled for a full hearing
at the Inter-American Human Rights Commission of the OAS in October. Although
the Commission and Court continued to hear cases against Peru, without that
country's participation, they postponed Lori's hearing until their next session
in March 2000. Lori expects full vindication
from the Commission and the Court. However, Peru's withdrawal means they will
not abide by the court's decision, in violation of its international
commitment.
A Congressional
amendment calling for Lori's release almost passed.
Congresswoman
Maxine Waters offered an amendment to the State Department Authorization bill,
"Sense of Congress Concerning Support for Democracy in Peru and the
Release of Lori Berenson, An American Citizen Imprisoned in Peru" which
asked that Congress support democracy and human rights in Peru, investigate the
lack of press freedom and judicial independence and, in particular in deciding
whether to provide economic and other forms of assistance to Peru, the U.S.
should take into consideration the willingness of Peru to assist in the release
of Lori Berenson. On July 21, 1999, the
amendment was defeated by a vote of 233 to 189.
In October, the
House of Representatives passed Resolution 57 which criticizes Peru for
interference with freedom of the press and the independence of judicial and
electoral institutions. This "Sense of the House" Resolution opines
that such interference contributes to an erosion of democracy and the rule of
law in Peru. The Resolution states that
persecution of journalists in Peru is so grave that several Peruvian
journalists in Peru have sought political asylum in the United States. In
addition, the Resolution brings into question the independence of the Peruvian
judiciary system, citing a continuing control of judges and judicial matters by
the executive branch.
Resolution 57,
which did not specifically name Lori, came only ten weeks after the House
narrowly defeated an amendment to a bill that was proposed by Congresswoman
Maxine Waters. Those members of the
House who opposed the Waters amendment, arguing for a fair trial in lieu of
release, should now see that such a trial is impossible in Peru, given the lack
of judicial independence.
MAJOR WORLD
ENTITIES' POSITIONS
The United
Nations High Commission for Human Rights called Lori's imprisonment
"arbitrary detention"; A majority of the members of the United States
Senate have determined that Lori Berenson's lack of due process must be
rectified and 180 members of the U.S. Congress have also signed a petition on
Lori's behalf; Amnesty International has issued repeated Urgent Action
Bulletins regarding Lori's imprisonment; The February, 1999 U.S. State
Department Report on Human Rights in Peru stated that" Although the
[Peruvian] Constitution provides for an independent judiciary, in practice the
judicial system is inefficient, often corrupt, and has appeared to be easily
manipulated by the executive branch."
LORI BERENSON
NEEDS YOUR HELP
Attend the vigil
to commemorate four years of unjust incarceration. The vigil will be held on Tuesday, January 11, outside the
Peruvian Consulate at 3460 Wilshire Blvd., just East of Normandie.
Call the White
House hotline at (202) 456-1111. Tell
President Clinton that it has been four years since Lori's wrongful
imprisonment. Remind him that Lori has never had justice and, given that Peru
has withdrawn from the Inter-American Human Rights Court of the Organization of
American States, Lori's case is left in limbo, with no international recourse
for justice.
Urge him to use
his powers to press the Peruvian government for Lori's release.
See Lori's
website at www.freelori.org.
Contact the Committee to Free Lori Berenson at (202)
548-8480.