[Fwd: JN: Berenson case and US government responsibility]

["Juan R. Fajardo" <fajardos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: JN: Berenson case and US government responsibility
Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 11:54:27 +0100
From: hariette <hariette@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: justin-news@xxxxxxxx
To: justin-news@xxxxxxxx

Justice International reproduces below the text of the CNN interview
with
the parents of US citizen Lori Berenson, one of the many victims of the
torturers regime of Alberto Fujimori in Peru.  The Berenson family's
demands are most justified.

/snip/

Justice International Press Commission



CNN
SHOW: CNN EARLY EDITION 07:00
August 31, 2000; Thursday
Transcript # 00083107V08

TYPE: INTERVIEW
SECTION: News; Domestic
HEADLINE: Lori Berenson's Parents Appeal for Release of Their
Daughter
GUESTS: Mark Berenson, Rhoda Berenson
BYLINE: Leon Harris
HIGHLIGHT:
A Peruvian military court has overturned the conviction of
American Lori Berenson, who is serving a life sentence for
espionage in Peru. The court has granted her a new trial. Her
parents, Rhoda and Mark Berenson, discuss their skepticism of the
fairness of the upcoming trial.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM
AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: An American woman serving a life sentence
for espionage in Peru has had her conviction overturned and she
has been granted a new trial. Lori Berenson is accused of being a
leader in the Tupac Amaru revolutionary movement that tried to
topple the government of president Alberto Fujimori. She was tried
and convicted by a secret military jury in 1996 of helping the
Tupac Amaru plan an attack on Peru's congress.

Her parents, Mark and Rhoda, join us this morning from New York.
They have a very different story of their daughter and of the
events that have led her to where she is this morning.

We thank you for your time today.

Let me begin with you, Mr. Berenson. What can you tell us is the
reason behind this revocation of her conviction and now this
granting of a new trial?

MARK BERENSON, FATHER: This is hard to say. The opposition down
there says it's because to remove a scandal of arms deal between
the Peruvian government and the Jordanian government that is
funneled through Colombia. And the scandal, they want to get Lori
in the news. There are other that say that Peru is kowtowing to
the United States.

We can tell you that Lori filed a recurso, a petition in December
1999 asking for the supreme military court to review her case and
they just happened to do it this week. It could have happened any
time in the last nine months.

HARRIS: The why hasn't it happened then?

M. BERENSON: Because the courts take their time in doing what they
do. We were told it could have happened any time after Christmas.

HARRIS: Mrs. Berenson, what do you expect to happen in this
civilian trial? Much has been written about what happened in the
military trial, about Lori not being able to cross-examine any of
the witnesses that were there against her or not presenting any --
not allowed to present any evidence in own defense. How is this
situation in the civil trial going to be any different?

RHODA BERENSON, MOTHER: Well, it will be a little bit different,
but not enough different. The United States Department of State
human rights report has said that the civilian trials also do not
meet international standards of openness, fairness and due
process. So this is not a jury trial. It's a single judge, or a
few judges, all of whom are appointed by the president. And the
president of Peru has already said Lori's going to get 30 years to
life. So we see it as a show trial and our daughter just being
used by the Peruvian government once again.

HARRIS: Is your daughter, or are you, disputing that Lori is in
any way tied with the Tupac Amaru? She was actually caught, was
she not, with them?

R. BERENSON: No, actually, she was not caught with them. She was
arrested and associated by the police -- associated with them.
Lori has said in many times in letters that she wrote to officials
that she was not a member of the MRTA. She has never been a member
of any such group. She has never been involved in the violence
with them, with anyone else, in the planning of any actions. She
has repeatedly said she is innocent of these preposterous charges.


M. BERENSON: The Peruvian government has found that she is
innocent after all this time. It was the Peruvian government which
provided the evidence that she is not guilty of these charges,
which they have wronged her for four years, nine months, and one
day.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you how you all have been able to stay in
touch with her? I mean you're in New York, correct? and she's
actually almost half a hemisphere away, how are you able to do
that?

M. BERENSON: We don't know where she is. This is unbelievable, but
the justice minister Boostamonte (ph), on Monday, said she was
moved to Lima. It was reported at all the Peruvian papers
yesterday that she was moved to Lima. The State Department, at
5:30 last night, believes she's still 500 miles away in southern
Peru in Arequipa. We don't know where our daughter is.

HARRIS: Well, then how will you be able to see her? How will you
be able to follow what happens in the civilian trial?

R. BERENSON: Well, we will find out where she is. And the only way
to follow it is if we go there. The only way we can contact Lori
is if we actually go to Peru and see her. There's no telephone
contact. We go, as you say, almost half a hemisphere -- pretty far
away just to say how are you, to let -- she doesn't know exactly
what's happening. I mean, she's been told that the decision on
Monday was that the military court said that the conviction of
1996 was wrong and therefore they threw it out, that she wasn't
guilty as they had claimed she was. She knows that, but she
doesn't know anything else that's going on.

HARRIS: We have to move on. But is this civilian trial her last
chance at freedom?

M. BERENSON: There's not going to be a civilian trial. This is
double jeopardy. Lori has been wronged. Peru has admitted now,
after all these years that they've wronged her. They have no
evidence, they never have evidence because it doesn't exist. Lori
has said that. She's told that to us. We've been saying that for
years. There's no reason to have a trial. Would you want a trial,
or your family members to have a trial in a court where the
president has already said she's going to get 30 years to life?
where every newspaper has prejudiced to her and convicted her?
where all the members of congress, on all sides, think she's
guilty because of the propaganda fabricated by Peru these last
years? It is impossible for Lori to have a trial there. And I as
said, our State Department has said so. Human rights groups have
said so. She is not going to be a sacrificial lamb. As her father,
I ask all Americans to stand behind me on this.

HARRIS: Well, it's unfortunate that your family is in this
situation. But we certainly hope to be able to talk to you again
as this case does progress. We thank you very much for your time
this morning, Mark and Rhoda Berenson.

M. BERENSON: Thank you.

R. BERENSON: Thank you.

HARRIS: Take care, good luck.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR
USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






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