[Ppnews] Lori Berenson Update July 1, 2009

[Political Prisoner News]

July 1, 2009

To Friends and Supporters of Lori Berenson:

           Lori and Salvador are Doing Well ­ Considering the Circumstances

Today Salvador is 8 weeks old.    Lori says he 
has a very round face with several chins and is 
very, very cute and kissable.  We have been to 
Peru to see him and we agree!!!!  The stark 
prison surroundings in which Lori and Salvador 
live are mitigated by the closeness that they 
share and the relationship they are forming.  The 
smile on Lori’s face and the utter joy in her 
voice at what she describes as her “blessing” 
more than compensate for lack of heat, light and 
ambiance in the small cell in which they live.

           The Riverdale Press Editorial Calls for Lori’s Release

Riverdale is a New York City community bordering 
the neighborhood in which Lori was born.  On May 
28th, The Riverdale Press editorial “Prisoner of 
Conscience” argued for Lori’s immediate release 
and urged readers to contact President Obama and 
Secretary of State Clinton on this matter.

The Riverdale Press editorial commented on the 
diplomatic efforts of the Obama administration 
that contributed to the recent release of a U.S. 
citizen from trumped up charges in Iran but 
lamented that the Obama administration has not 
made the same efforts on Lori’s behalf.   As the 
local Riverdale Congressman Eliot Engel (the 
Chair of the Subcommittee on the Western 
Hemisphere of the House of Representatives 
Foreign Affairs Committee) was quoted in the 
editorial:   “It’s enough already.”

Lori has been wrongfully imprisoned in Peru for 
13 years and 7 months and, as in the case in Iran 
and in a current case of two U.S. citizen 
journalists imprisoned in North Korea, she also 
has been used as a “political football.”  Perhaps 
the big difference is that Iran and North Korea 
are countries considered antagonistic to the U.S. 
while Peru is a country that even under the 
Fujimori dictatorship was considered an ally.

To read the full editorial please click on: 
http://www.riverdalepress.com/full.php?sid=8772&current_edition=2009-05-28

           CONTINUED CALL TO ACTION:

Now that Lori has recovered from her 
Caesarian-section delivery she will be consulting 
with neurosurgeons about spinal surgery. There is 
much concern over the prospects for Lori having 
successful spinal surgery in Peru when 
post-surgical rehabilitation and physical therapy 
are so limited in the confines of stark prison facilities.

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton 
must be reminded of Lori’s medical need and 
Peruvian President Alan Garcia must be urged to 
return Lori and her baby to the U.S.

           Actions:   Call the White House and State Department

Please call the White House and the State 
Department and leave the following brief 
message:  “Lori Berenson has been wrongfully 
imprisoned in Peru for nearly 14 years.  She has 
serious health issues. The U.S. Government must 
act to bring Lori and her baby home.”

The White House switchboard “hot-line” telephone 
number is 202-456-1111 or the White House 
“comment line” telephone number is 202-456-1111.

The State Department telephone number is 202-647-4000 or 1-800-877-8339.

Thank you for your help.

           June 2009:  A Sad Period for Peruvian 
Democracy and Hopefully a Better Tomorrow

On a totally separate issue, development in 
emerging democracies like Peru, which has been in 
transition since 2001 from a decade of the 
corrupt Fujimori dictatorship, is sometimes 
stifled by over-ambitious endeavors coupled with 
inherent centuries-old prejudices.  On June 5th, 
horrific acts of violence broke out in Peru’s 
northern jungles, tragically resulting in 
numerous brutal killings and severe injuries to 
Peruvian soldiers and police and members of the 
indigenous community.   The violence erupted 
after protest by members of the indigenous 
community who argued that they did not have 
enough say in decisions involving the use of the 
land on which they live.  Fortunately, calmness 
has returned and negotiations have commenced that 
hopefully will result in an equitable solution to 
the dispute between the Peruvian government and the citizens of the community.

Mark and Rhoda B.

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English Website:  www.freelori.org
Spanish Website:  www.lorilibre.org



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