The letter sent to President Clinton on July 26, 2000 urged him to facilitate a humanitarian release for Lori. The 40 Senators who have signed are listed below. If your Senators signed, please thank them for their support.
The letter was cosponsored by New York Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Charles Schumer along with Senators Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) and Jim Jeffords (R-VT).
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to urge your support for the humanitarian release of Lori Berenson, an American citizen who was sentenced to life in prison in Peru.
On January 11, 1996, a secret Peruvian military tribunal, in violation of international law, convicted Ms. Berenson of treason. Throughout her incarceration - which has lasted more than four years and significantly damaged her health - she has consistently maintained her innocence.
Ms. Berenson was denied a fair public trial, as outlined in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Peru ratified on April 28, 1978. In December 1998, the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights condemned the Peruvian government for Ms. Berenson's "arbitrary" deprivation of liberty and asked the government to remedy the situation. Peru has yet to adopt the recommended measures.
In May 1999, the Inter-American Human Rights Court of the Organization of American States ruled that Peru should grant new trials to four Chileans serving life sentences for treason. In response, Peru partially withdrew from its juridical obligations to the body. It is clear that this country has a questionable commitment to improving human rights.
During the last four years, Ms. Berenson has developed serious physical ailments as a consequence of her high-altitude imprisonment. Though she has been moved to a prison at a lower altitude, her health has not improved, and she now lives in virtual isolation. Ms. Berenson continues to have numbness in her hands, vomiting attacks, and night blindness in her right eye. We urge you to use your authority to secure her humanitarian release before her health further deteriorates.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel K. Akaka (D- HI)
Max Baucus (D- MT)
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D- DE)
Jeff Bingaman (D- NM)
Barbara Boxer (D- CA)
John B. Breaux (D- LA)
Max Cleland (D- GA)
Susan M. Collins (R- ME)
Kent Conrad (D- ND)
Tom Daschle (D- SD)
Mike DeWine (R- OH)
Christopher J. Dodd (D- CT)
Byron L. Dorgan (D- ND)
Richard J. Durbin (D- IL)
Russell D. Feingold (D- WI)
Dianne Feinstein (D- CA)
Tom Harkin (D- IA)
Daniel K. Inouye (D- HI)
James M. Jeffords (R- VT)
Tim Johnson (D- SD)
Edward M. Kennedy (D- MA)
J. Robert Kerrey (D- NE)
John F. Kerry (D- MA)
Mary L. Landrieu (D- LA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (D- NJ)
Patrick J. Leahy (D- VT)
Carl Levin (D- MI)
Joseph I. Lieberman (D- CT)
Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D- AR)
Barbara A. Mikulski (D- MD)
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D- NY)
Patty Murray (D- WA)
Jack Reed (D- RI)
John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (D- WV)
Paul S. Sarbanes (D- MD)
Charles E. Schumer (D- NY)
Arlen Specter (R- PA)
Ted Stevens (R- AK)
Robert G. Torricelli (D- NJ)
Paul David Wellstone (D- MN)
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R- CO)*
John Edwards (D- NC)*
Ron Wyden (D- OR)*
* Sending own letter urging humanitarian release or justice