News from Lori's Parents

28 February 2003

In this update:

"Lori Libre" website launched in Spanish

A new Website, "Lori Libre," the Spanish for "Free Lori," has been launched at www.lorilibre.org and has links to the www.freelori.org Website in English.

It is our hope that the "Lori Libre" Website will enlighten Peruvians and other Spanish-speaking citizens with information on the truth about Lori and her case. To date, they have only been exposed to five years of propaganda by a Peruvian media almost totally controlled by the corrupt Fujimori-Montesinos government and perpetuated these past two years by typically irresponsible journalism from a "free" Peruvian press under the Toledo administration.

Even if you do not speak Spanish, please visit the new Website www.lorilibre.org to see the new photos and the "DIBUJOS" or art done by Lori using threads and glue.

We are extremely grateful to Lori's friends and supporters in Latin America who developed the "Lori Libre" Website and to Ken, our "Free Lori" Webmaster, who helped in this process.

Rhoda and Mark visit Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Since our last Lori Update, we have met with officials of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica, to learn more about the Court's processes and procedures. Owing to a backlog of cases, Lori's is 14th in the chronological sequencing, and the fact that the Court meets but four times a year for two-week intervals, Lori's case faces a long delay. This delay only means that Lori must suffer further imprisonment and possibly more injury to her health while awaiting the Inter-American Court decision, which, based on precedent, will surely be in her favor. Lori's lawyers are working to convince the Court that since nearly two thousand Peruvian prisoners will be affected by the ruling in her case it should expedite the process.

Rhoda and Mark's letter appears in Wall Street Journal

On February 6, Rhoda and Mark's letter, "Perú's Violation of Our Daughter's Rights," was published in the Wall Street Journal in response to an article dealing with Perú's "efforts" to change its anti-terrorism legislation.

Perú "amends" anti-terrorism laws

Last week, more than two years following the fall of the autocratic presidency of Alberto Fujimori, Perú issued new antiterrorism laws -- failing to dismantle his tyrannical decrees that have been repeatedly condemned by human rights groups. For several years, both the OAS' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Court of Human Rights have ruled that Perú's Draconian antiterrorism laws, affecting both military and civilian trials (under which Lori was tried), must be brought into compliance with international standards. Instead, and despite its rhetoric to the contrary, Perú chose to ignore its international legal obligations by striking down only the decree affecting secret military trials for civilians and then issuing a new set of antiterrorism laws -- giving but token recognition to the horrendous human rights violations perpetrated by the Fujimori laws affecting civilian trials. Almost all the old abuses remain in the new Peruvian antiterrorism laws.

It is simply incredible for Perú to state that its antiterrorism laws are now in compliance with international standards and that anyone accused of a terrorism-related crime could have a fair civilian trial.

- Rhoda and Mark Berenson