News from Lori's Parents
19 March 2001
Day 1,937 of Lori's wrongful incarceration
In this update:Lori's oral hearing
We are in Lima, awaiting the oral hearing that begins tomorrow. We do not know how long the oral hearing will take or on what days it will continue.
On Thursday evening, March 15, Lori's lawyer Dr. Jose Luis Sandoval Quesada was finally given a complete description of the charges against Lori -- which he then gave to her on Friday. This official document was dated February 15 but the government of Perú waited until four days before the start of the oral hearing to inform Lori of these charges. This lack of opportunity to know and prepare is just one more violation of due process and Lori's rights.
We have been told that these formal charges will be read in the courtroom at the beginning of the hearing and then the prosecutor will immediately start questioning Lori. Unlike a trial in the USA, there are no opening remarks by the lawyer for the defense.
We expect the next days to be hectic but we will try our best to keep you informed.
San Francisco City Council urges Lori's release
While we were in Lima we learned that the City Council of San Francisco has passed a resolution calling for Lori's release and an intent to initiate appropriate legislation affecting Perú if justice is not served. We are very grateful to all in San Francisco who helped with this resolution.