Lori Berenson - Scapegoat Victim of U.S. Latin American Foreign Policy

[I have been following the Lori Berenson case for nearly the 10 years that she has been cruelly imprisoned in Peruvian prisons. Lori, daughter of a CUNY faculty member, as so many of her generation with a conscience, sought to mitigate the cruel situations of victims of injustice in Latin American countries where U.S. foreign policy has traditionally supported the corrupt dominating regimes that have played ball with American corporate interests there such as the United Fruit Company http://www.mayaparadise.com/ufc1e.htm In our School of the Americas http://www.soaw.org/new/ we literally trained the officers of the various juntas that 'disappeared' thousands of young people in the major and many minor states in the Americas (Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru et al). Lori had barely arrived in Peru when she was accused of associating with the lessor of the protesting groups in that country that had evolved from frustrated labor union movement roots -- the Tupac Amaru. Tried by a masked military court as reported below, Lori has been held in Peruvian prisons despite the protests of the Clinton Administration and many members of our Congress prior to the arrival in office of the Bush administration which opposes social and economic reform in Latin America per its pronouncements and appointments of officials well known for their hostility to reform movements there. Lori is a scapegoat now in increasingly threatening health -- she was held for a number of years in a freezing cell high up in the Andes. Her brave parents labor on to achieve her release from these cruel conditions and all of us who have investigated her case share their concerns and our own disgust both with the corrupt regimes of Peru and our governments that have collaborated with them. Ed Kent]

Sunday, October 9, 2005

To Friends and Supporters of Lori Berenson:

VISITS TO LORI

On two consecutive weekends Lori was visited by her friend Kristen and then by Rhoda. Both found her to be in very good spirits, keepingherself busy working full days in the prison bakery. Since Lori is on her feet all day, she wears a body brace prescribed by the Peruvian prison doctor to support her back in an effort to ease the effects of scoliosis and osteoarthritis of the spine that she was recently diagnosed has having.

ARTICLE ON LORI AND U.S. POLICY IN LATIN AMERICA IS PUBLISHED

Nicholas Birns, a professor at the New School and senior research fellow at the Council of Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), recently published "Lori Through the Looking Glass: A New Perspective on the Lori Berenson Case." This excellent, well-researched article on Lori's case and its parallels with U.S. foreign policy can be found at

http://www.freelori.org/groups/coha/05sep29_coha.html

BOOK ON SHAKESPEARE DEDICATED TO LORI

We wish to express our gratitude to Bernice Kliman and Rick Santos for dedicating to Lori the book they edited, "Latin American Shakespeares" published by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. The dedication reads, "We dedicate this book to Lori Berenson, whose sacrifice has led to wider awareness of political struggles in Latin America."

ASSISTANCE FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS IN PERU

As you know, during Lori's time in prison she has gotten to know the stories of many political prisoners in Peru. In prison they face human rights abuses, the need for legal representation, and the need for help with basic survival, such as medical care and adequate food. Upon release they continue to need legal assistance to close their files so they are not re-arrested on out-dated warrants. And they need assistance integrating back into society - help in obtaining jobs, housing, and other forms of social support.

Last year a group consisting of a former prisoner, a human rights activist and concerned defense attorneys founded the Association for Legal Aid and Social Action (ALAS) in order to help resolve some of these problems.

ALAS needs support to continue providing legal and other types of assistance to current and former political prisoners. If you would like to help, please send a tax-deductible donation to Rights Action, PO Box 50887, Washington DC 20091 (telephone: 202-783-1123) or donate on-line at www.RightsAction.org. Important! Please be sure to write ALAS on the memo line of your check or identify ALAS if donating on-line.

THE PASSING OF RABBI BALFOUR BRICKNER

On September 1st the New York Times reported on the death of Rabbi Balfour Brickner, rabbi emeritus at the Stephen Wise Free Synogogue in New York City, who, among his many humanitarian and social justice involvements, also served on the Advisory Board of the Committee to Free Lori Berenson.

Rabbi Brickner participated in a religious delegation to Peru in January 2002 that gave President Toledo a letter signed by hundreds of religious leaders around the world calling for Lori's release. The delegation then went to Cajamarca to visit Lori who had just been brought to the Huacariz mountain prison a few weeks earlier.

The New York Times article called Rabbi Brickner "a voice of Reform Judaism on issues like race and abortion" and noted that "he took part in the civil rights struggle and the Vietnam anti-war movement and was a founder of Religious Leaders for a Free Choice." Deeply concerned about Israel's occupation of Palestine, "he remained committed to the search
for reconciliation and peace in the Middle East."

We were shocked, as was Lori, when learning of Rabbi Brickner's passing. Nobody who met him would think this active, energetic vibrant man was 78 years old. We want to extend our deepest sympathy to Rabbi Brickner's family and loved ones. We will always be grateful for his love and
concern for us and for Lori. We were fortunate to have known him. He will be missed.

Rhoda and Mark Berenson
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English Website: www.freelori.org
Spanish Website: www.lorilibre.org
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Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
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