Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Lori Berenson Ordered Back to Prison in Peru
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 18, 2010
Modified Aug 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 18, 2010
Modified Aug 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After almost three months of freedom following her nearly 15 years in Peruvian prisons, it looks like American citizen and New York native Lori Berenson is going back to prison. Today Deputy Justice Minister Luis Marill "ordered the capture of Berenson and her immediate imprisonment," and Bloomberg News reports that her re-arrest could come "in the coming hours." The urge to make a run for the border must be unbearable for Berenson right now, but her release outraged many Peruvians who perceived her as a terrorist for her participation in a foiled terrorist plot to take the Peruvian Congress hostage in the mid-'90s—and one assumes the Peruvian government has been watching her very closely.
After being sentenced to life in prison in 1995—and giving birth to a son in jail—Berenson was granted conditional parole at the end of May, with the stipulation that she must remain in the country for another five years. But prosecutors insist she should be returned to prison because she was released a few months before completing 15 years of a 20-year sentence—parole in Peru is usually granted only after prisoners serve three-quarters of their terms, Reuters reports. Prosecutors also say she still had links to the rebel group, and pointed to errors in the parole ruling.
At a hearing Monday, Berenson was contrite, telling a panel of judges, "Yes, I collaborated with the MRTA. I was never a leader or a militant. I never participated in violent or bloody acts. I never killed anybody. If my participation contributed to societal violence I am very sorry for this." Berenson asked the court to commute her sentence so she could seek medical treatment in the U.S. Now another judge will review the panel's decision and rule on whether Berenson must serve out the rest of her sentence in jail. According to the Daily News, whatever the outcome, she will have exhausted her appeals.
Tagged
lori berenson
Peru
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
'Insults, bravado': Legal standoff over Mamdani rent freeze grows fiery
The city’s top lawyer threatened to call his adversary, a former deputy mayor, to the witness stand.
By
David Brand
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 2:59 p.m. ET
NYC Council set to ban Central Park's carriage horse industry
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports the ban, and a majority of city councilmembers have signed on to support legislation that would end the industry.
By
Liam Quigley
News
NYC Council set to ban Central Park's carriage horse industry
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports the ban, and a majority of city councilmembers have signed on to support legislation that would end the industry.
By
Liam Quigley
22 NYC food pantries to start offering pet food
By
Karen Yi
Woman whose body was found in Brooklyn garbage can was strangled, medical examiner says
By
Charles Lane
New York Public Radio CEO steps down after 8 months on job
By
Liam Quigley
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .