Peru Grants Berenson Civilian Trial

L I M A, Peru, Aug. 29 -- More than four years after hooded militaryjudges convicted American Lori Berenson of planning a rebel attack— raising an outcry from Washington — Peru’s military overturnedher life sentence and cleared the way for a new, civilian trial,officials said Monday.

The 30-year-old New York native was found guilty of treason bythe secret tribunal in January 1996 for allegedly helping the TupacAmaru Revolutionary Movement plan an attack on Peru’s Congress. Theattack was foiled by Peruvian authorities.

The tribunal released a statement to The Associated Press sayingthat Berenson’s sentence was overturned on Aug. 18 and her case waspassed to a civilian court on Thursday.

First public word of the decision came earlier in the day in astatement from Berenson’s defense attorney, Grimaldo Achahui, onRadioprogramas, Peru’s leading station. He said she would remainimprisoned pending the new trial.

“We have fought to the last moment so that she would be judgedin a civilian court where she will avail of due process with allguarantees of a right to a defense,” Achahui said. “This does notsignify that she will be granted liberty.”

Diplomatic Sore Thumb

Berenson’s case has been a sore point in U.S. relations withPeru. Washington has repeatedly pressed for a new trial, saying thesecret nature of the court violated her rights. The U.S. governmenthas also criticized as too harsh the living conditions she hasreportedly been held under in Peruvian prisons.

“We have maintained that the trial proceedings against her didnot meet due process standards,” said U.S. Embassy spokesmanDouglas Barnes.

The decision came despite the insistence by President AlbertoFujimori that Berenson, a former Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology student, is a terrorist and will remain in prison.

There was no immediate comment by Fujimori’s administrationabout the move. After the announcement, he canceled a schedulednews conference.