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Lori Berenson Claims Peruvian Authorities Prevented Her From Leaving
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 18, 2011
Modified Dec 18, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 18, 2011
Modified Dec 18, 2011
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the New Yorker who served 15 years of a prison sentence in Peru as a convicted terrorist, said Peruvian immigration officials prevented her from visiting the US yesterday despite a court-order that allowed her to travel to New York City until January 11. "They said I needed a document for immigration and I didn't have it," she told the Times, "so they wouldn't let me leave the country. Berenson is currently on parole through November of 2015, and her attorney called the actions "an abuse of authority."
Local news outlets claimed that Berenson, along with her 2-year-old son Salvador, arrived late at the airport in Lima and missed her flight. However, witnesses claim that Berenson was "at the airport hours before the flight was to leave." Peru's antiterrorism prosecutor filed a complaint against Thursday's visitation ruling on Friday, but a spokesperson for the Judiciary Department tells the paper that alone is not enough to prevent her from nullifying the order. "We don't have anything to do with it," the spokesperson said. "As far as the judiciary is concerned, she was allowed to leave the country."
Berenson was supposed to stay with her parents here in New York City. Berenson's father, Mark, told the AP earlier in the week, "My worry is that there's going to be screaming to stop this."
Tagged
Justice
lori berenson
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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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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