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“LORI BERENSON” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1188 on June 25, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
LORI BERENSON
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HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Monday, June 25, 2001
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, when Peru announced it would retry Lori last August, we hoped for an open and fair hearing. Instead, what she received was a public circus in which the verdict was a foregone conclusion.
Peru has condemned Lori Berenson under draconian anti-terrorism laws enacted during the flawed Fujimori-Montesinos regime. The U.S. Department of State and the Inter-American Human Rights court system have been joined by human rights groups such as the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and Human Rights Watch: Americas, in concluding that the Fujimori-Montesinos anti-terrorism laws violate both international law and the Peruvian Constitution. Her trial should not have been held until those laws were reformed.
International observers, human rights advocates and legal scholars report that Lori's trial has been riddled with violations of due process. Much of the evidence used against her was gathered during her discredited military trial, in many cases from witnesses who had been subjected to torture. Most of the witnesses have since recanted their earlier statements. The only witness against Lori received a reduced sentence for his testimony against Lori and, on the eve of Lori's trial was given a new trial so that he can get another reduction in sentence. Furthermore, court proceedings clearly show that the judges had decided the verdict long before this trial began. How fair is a trial in which a judge proclaims a defendant guilty while witnesses are still being heard?
In her public statement in court yesterday, Lori said that she was sorry for the violence and the deaths that there have been. She has condemned terrorism in the past and she did so again today. Lori has always maintained that she was innocent of the charges against her.
I am hopeful that the Peruvian President will recognize that Lori has already served 5\1/2\ years in prison under very harsh circumstances and will pardon her. It is time for Lori to come home.
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