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Peru Prevents Lori Berenson's Departure to U.S.

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Sat Dec 17, 2011 at 09:21:00 AM EST
Tags: Lori Berenson (all tags)
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Bump and Update: Lori Berenson and her son were prevented from leaving Peru at the airport. The prosecutor says he filed a motion to nullify her travel order on the grounds that parolees may not leave Peru. He didn't know if it had been granted. (A three judge panel had granted her permission, overruling a lower court which had denied it in October.) Berenson says Peruvian airport officials are falsely stating she arrived late.

Original Post below: [More...]

12/16: Peru Lets Lori Berenson Come to U.S.

For the first time since being jailed in Peru in 1995, Peru has agreed to allow Lori Berenson, now on parole, to come to the U.S. She must return to Peru by January 11.

Her father says she will return because she doesn't want to break the law.

"I'm glad she has a chance to be here for my 70th birthday," Mark Berenson told Reuters in New York. "I'm looking forward to being with my grandson and playing with him."

Berenson was convicted of providing support to MRTA, an urban guerrilla group. She wasn't convicted of participating in violent acts. She explained she rented a house where some MRTA members stayed. While weapons were later found at the house, she denied having knowledge of them.

More information is available here.

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    Peru Prevents Lori Berenson's Departure to U.S. | 4 comments (4 topical)

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    Don't blame Peru (none / 0) (#1)
    by diogenes on Fri Dec 16, 2011 at 08:46:34 PM EST
    From Wikipedia,
    "Berenson obtained press credentials for herself and her photographer to the Congress of Peru, papers which were later reported by the media to be "false journalist credentials"[8] However her support website states that "After half a decade of hands-on experience ... Lori was able to obtain assignments from two U.S. publications, Modern Times and Third World Viewpoint, to work as a free-lance journalist. She secured appropriate press credentials in Lima. At the time of her arrest she was researching articles about the effects of poverty on women in Perú. Her parents are in possession of some of the transcripts of her work, but the Peruvian anti-terrorist police took most of it when her apartment was searched."[9] Her photographer, Nancy Gilvonio, was actually the wife of Néstor Cerpa, the MRTA second-in-command -- although Berenson claims she was unaware of this connection and claimed that she knew her only as a Bolivian photographer. Berenson had entered the main Congress building with Gilvonio several times during 1995 to interview members of Congress. Gilvonio was alleged to have provided the information she collected to the MRTA including detailed information on the floor plans of Congress, its security and members. The plan was for the MRTA to invade the Congress building, kidnap the legislators, and exchange the hostages for MRTA prisoners."

    Did she REALLY take a high level MRTA person in to scout the Congress under the guise of being her "photographer"?  Was she really a savvy freelance journalist writing about Peruvian poverty who knew nothing about the MRTA or who its members were?  Maybe she's been punished enough, but you can't blame the people of Peru for being really mad at her.

    Her friend (none / 0) (#2)
    by MKS on Fri Dec 16, 2011 at 11:42:00 PM EST
    provided information to a group that did what?

    The quote above doesn't show what she did wrong.  

    Parent

    She hired Gilovnio (none / 0) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2011 at 11:28:13 AM EST
    Berenson had entered the main Congress building with Gilvonio several times during 1995 to interview members of Congress. Gilvonio was alleged to have provided the information she collected to the MRTA

    and this was believed to be give her cover.

    Is Berenson guilty? Don't know.

    I would say she's been punished enough and hopefully learned enough to be set free. Especially on the need for carefully vetting your employees and knowing who you are hanging out with.

    Parent

    The old I'm actually a lousy journalist defense: (none / 0) (#3)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Dec 17, 2011 at 10:19:49 AM EST
    "How was I to know that all my pals were revolutionaries?"

    Peru Prevents Lori Berenson's Departure to U.S. | 4 comments (4 topical)

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