The Washington Peace Letter is published monthly for the social justice community of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It's purpose is to support local, national and international struggles against oppression. It seeks to present a radical analysis of current events, covering information not readily available in the corporate media.

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Lori Berenson and I were both born during the same year. At this point in our lives, there's not much else that we have in common. I get to sleep in a soft bed in a warm room. And when I wake up in the morning, I can walk outside, breath the fresh air, feel the warm sun on my skin, and listen to the birds sing. I can talk to my friends and family whenever I want. I have my freedom. Lori does not. She has spent the past four years in a Peruvian prison sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. I can't begin to relate to the hardships Lori experiences on a daily basis. But I can tell her story.

Lori, a U.S. citizen and free-lance journalist, traveled to Peru in November 1994 to work on articles on the effects on poverty on the women in Peru. Later the following year, she was arrested while traveling on a bus in downtown Lima for her alleged involvement with a revolutionary group known as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. Lori was taken before a hooded military tribunal where she was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole even though the military prosecutor only asked for a 30 year sentence. During her trial, she was not allowed to see witnesses, confront witnesses, call witnesses, introduce evidence, or speak in her own defense. Both Amnesty International and the United Nations condemned her trial following lengthy investigations. Amnesty International considers Lori to be a political prisoner and the United Nations has declared her to be arbitrarily detained and has found Peru to be in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Lori has suffered enormously during her imprisonment. She was originally sent to Yanamayo where she lived in a 6 by 10 cell with no light, electricity, or hot water. She was allowed out of her cell for only 1/2 hour per day. There was also no heat in the prison even though temperatures seldom rose above 40 degrees even during summer. She slept on a concrete bed. In October of 1998, she was transferred to Socabaya where conditions are slightly better. Still, she has been kept in virtual isolation and as only limited contact with other people. And the years of imprisonment in harsh and inhumane conditions have left her hands purple and swollen and she has
developed arthritis and circulation problems. But her spirits remain strong and she has continued to maintain her innocence throughout her ordeal.

Reading over what I have just written, it sounds like science fiction or maybe the plot for the TV movie of the week. An American citizen, illegally detained in a foreign country, sentenced to life imprisonment following a sham trial, living in inhumane conditions*am I missing something? Where has the press coverage been? Why haven't we heard more about Lori Berenson's story? The corporate dominated, entertainment-driven, feeding frenzy known as the American media has plenty of time for John Bobbitt, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker, and Tonya Harding (to name a few), names that never should have passed beyond the rags at the front of the grocery store checkout. But when it comes to a story that really matters - silence. During her four years of imprisonment, the Washington Post has run eight articles, one on page B1 and the others spread between pages A19-A29, hardly the location needed to inform people and spark the action needed to secure her release. Ask your friends and family. Ask your neighbors. Ask your co-workers. Ask them if they've heard of Lori Berenson. Expect a lot of blank stares.

And what of President Clinton? What has he done on Lori's behalf. Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General and one of Lori's lawyers believes that Lori would have been released immediately if the President had intervened at the very beginning. Instead he has done almost nothing for Lori, despite the existence of a law that requires the President to take all necessary steps, short of going to war, to secure the release of a U.S. citizen "unjustly deprived of his liberty by or under the authority of any government". Other politicains have taken a more active role on Lori's behalf. Over half of the House has shown support for Lori either by voting for an amendment that tied aid to Peru to Lori's release or by signing a letter urging President Clinton to intercede. Over 1/3 of the Senate likewise shown support by signing a letter.

It's not to late to help.

The Committee to Free Lori Berenson (set up by her parents) is working to secure her release since she has exhausted all of her appeals in Peru and has no chance of receiving a fair trial there anyway. They have established a website (www.freelori.org) that contains sample letters that you can use to write to your representatives, to the President, and to the Peruvian government. You can also use the website to make a donation to the Committee. Help break the media silence by writing to the editor of your newspaper and ask him or her to give Lori's story the proper attention it deserves. Talk to your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers about Lori's situation. Spread the word.

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