News from Lori's Parents
1 November 2000
This is day 1,799 of Lori's wrongful incarceration in Perú
In this update:- Los Angeles City Council calls for Lori's immediate release
- Prosecutor reportedly asks for 30-day extension in Lori's case
- Mutiny does not spread but who is running Perú?
Los Angeles City Council calls for Lori's immediate release
On Friday October 27 the City Council of Los Angeles unanimously passed a resolution calling for Lori's immediate release and stipulating that if this does not occur it would consider further legislative actions to secure her release. A copy of the resolution was to be given to the Peruvian government. We wish to thank Councilwoman Goldberg and Councilman Holden for sponsoring the resolution on Lori's behalf. This resolution was passed one month after an almost identical resolution was passed by the Council of the City of New York. Other municipalities are considering similar resolutions across the United States.
Prosecutor reportedly asks for 30-day extension in Lori's case
On Monday October 30 the Peruvian newspaper La Republica reported that "instructional" prosecutor Dra. Peralta requested a second extension, an additional 30 days, in order to gather more testimony and complete her report. This request was made at the end of the 50-day "testimony gathering" phase of the trial. The Terrorism Court under the jurisdiction of its president, Marcos Ibazeta, must decide whether to grant the extension or to use only the testimony obtained so far to proceed with the "oral" phase of the trial.
A number of supporters have asked questions about the trial procedures in Perú. We have now summarized them as best we understand them here.
Mutiny does not spread but who is running Perú?
Only days after President Fujimori himself led a manhunt for discredited intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos that reporters likened to a scenario of President Clinton personally chasing O.J. Simpson on California's freeways, President Fujimori had to call out his military to chase down a lieutenant colonel who, along with 50 others, staged a rebellion against the Peruvian government on Sunday. The rebels occupied a mining town for a brief period and then left with five hostages, including the commanding general of the region. The leader called Fujimori's government "illegitimate" and demanded that Montesinos be arrested. Montesinos was known to have given favors and promotions to loyal supporters and this officer was one of those who had not been promoted. Interestingly, the mutineers received public sympathy. As of today only a handful of mutineers remain in hiding in the southern Peruvian Andes near Puno. The others soldiers have deserted and the hostages have been released. The United States Department of State quickly backed President Fujimori and said he is in control and expects that he will remain in control until he hands over power to a new government next July 28. For accounts of these events see the In The News dialogue box from the home page of the website www.freelori.org