News from Lori's Parents
13 February 1996
In this update:Write to Lands' End
Dear Colleagues and Supporters of Lori:
Please help me put economic pressure on Perú. Last week the New York Times (Feb. 4) reported that President Fujimori was in Geneva courting investment moneys into Perú. In the same issue of the paper a full, two-page ad by Lands' End, a catalogue distribution company, praised its relationship with Perú and the quality of $23 shirts made of Peruvian cotton. Can you imagine the slave-labor wages the workers must be paid -- but that is yet another issue.
A sample letter to the Lands' End CEO is provided below. If you prefer to telephone or e-mail, the Lands' End catalog telephone number is 1-800-356-4444 and the E-mail address is products@landsend.com I will be searching for other U.S. based companies that do business in Perú and update you on this.
With thanks and appreciation,
Mark Berenson
Sample Letter
Chief Executive OfficerLands' End
1 Lands' End Lane
Dodgeville, Wisconsin 53595
Dear Sir:
As per your full two-page advertisement in the Sunday New York Times, February 4, 1996, I am very disturbed to see Lands' End praising its relationship with Perú. As Americans should have learned with the arrest and sentencing of U.S. citizen Lori Berenson, Perú is far from a "Shangri-La." Its secret military courts and easy charges of treason with absolutely no due process or ability for a prisoner to defend oneself make a mockery of justice, international law, and human rights. "Time is plentiful" would have a special and ironic resonance for all the documented hundreds of innocent people sentenced to life in Perú's notorious prisons.
We strongly urge you to cease such advertisements and to stop selling products made in Perú until such time as the government agrees to the release of Ms. Berenson and to abolish the system of military tribunals. Your economic influence could make a significant difference to both the Peruvians and foreigners who have suffered and continue to suffer under this system of "faceless courts" with no opportunity for defense.
Sincerely,