Berenson, Lori (1969–)

The American journalist Lori Berenson was imprisoned in Peru for alleged terrorist activity, in association with the guerilla organization known as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru, or MRTA). While supporters argued that Berenson was a political prisoner and not a terrorist sympathizer, her contact and association with members of the MRTA led a military tribunal to sentence her to life in prison for treason.

Born and raised in New York City, Berenson attended college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1992 she moved to El Salvador as the civil war in that country was winding down. She became a secretary to a top leader of the group rebelling against the government, the FMLN, as the two sides worked toward peace.

In 1994 Berenson moved to Lima, Peru. She lived in a large house with many others in the middle-class neighborhood of La Molina. In November 1995, Peruvian police raided the house and found a supply of hidden weapons and evidence of terrorist activity. Several of the residents, including Berenson, were arrested for being alleged members of MRTA. The La Molina house was thought to be the MRTA headquarters where an attack on the Peruvian Congress was being planned. Berenson is alleged to have provided the layout of the congressional building to the MRTA. On January 11, 1996, she was convicted of treason by a panel of hooded judges in a military tribunal for her participation in the plot. (In trials involving terrorists in Peru, the judges veil their identity because they fear reprisals from the supporting terrorist organization.)

The manner in which Berenson was convicted was highly controversial. She was not allowed a jury or a personal statement, and her lawyer was not allowed to cross-examine any of the prosecution's witnesses or see their evidence. The trial lasted only minutes and resulted in the 26-year-old being sentenced to life in prison. With her parents’ support, Berenson began the appeals process. She continues to maintain her innocence, claiming that she did not know her housemates were involved in the MRTA, and that she did not have any knowledge of the activities that were taking place on the floors above her room.

In March 2000 the Peruvian government agreed to set aside the life sentence and retry Berenson in a civilian court. In this second trial, Berenson was convicted of aiding the plot against the Congress by providing the layout of the building, helping to secure weapons, and renting her house to MRTA members. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2001. In 2002 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, part of the Organization of American States, found that Berenson's trial violated her rights and was invalid. The Peruvian government appealed the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and in December 2004 the court upheld Berenson's conviction and sentencing.

Berenson married the rebel Aníbal Apari in 2003, and she gave birth to a son, Salvador, while in prison. In May 2010 Berenson was released on parole, but she was ordered to spend the remainder of her sentence (five years) in Peru. After a strong public outcry from some sectors in Peru, however, Berenson was returned to prison in August 2010, only to be paroled again in November 2010.

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