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[UPDATE] Activist Lori Berenson Denied Visit To NYC In Last-Minute Decision
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 17, 2011
Modified Dec 17, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 17, 2011
Modified Dec 17, 2011
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[UPDATE]
Berenson was stopped at the airport by Peruvian officials. "They didn't let me leave and they're putting out this version that I arrived late," Berenson told the AP earlier today. "An abuse of authority has been committed," her attorney said. "Administratively, you can't block a court order." On Wednesday, a three-judge panel agreed to allow the visit, and Peruvian officials denied to comment on why Berenson and her 2-year-old son Salvador, have been denied the trip to New York.
Lori Berenson, the New Yorker who has served 15 years in a Peruvian prison for collaborating with a terrorist organization, will be allowed to return to New York City for the holidays. “We are all thrilled that she will be here in New York for the holiday season,” Berenson's mother tells the Times. Berenson, who has a 2-year-old son, Salvador, must return to Peru by January 11, and if she does not, a judiciary spokesperson said she will be "imprisoned until the culmination of her [20-year] sentence, but the magistrates are certain there is no flight risk involved."
Berenson was imprisoned in 1995 after allowing the Marxist group MRTA to house operatives and supplies in an apartment she rented. She admitted to sharing ideologies with the group, but adamantly denied planning to commit violence or the overthrow of the Peruvian Congress. "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."
She had her son in prison, and was paroled last year, but must remain in Peru until November of 2015. Berenson's family is happy for the visit, but remains wary that she may be prevented from leaving. “My worry is that there’s going to be screaming to stop this,” Berenson's father told the AP.
Tagged
holidays
lori berenson
marxist
parole
Peru
terrorism
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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