|
For Immediate Release
September 5, 2000 |
Contact:
Philip Craft 212-860-0606 |
URGENT: DATED MATERIAL!
PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY
FREE LORI BERENSON!
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Reverend Jesse Jackson call for the immediate release of Lori Berenson
WHAT: A press conference to call for the immediate release of Lori Berenson, to describe Lori s current situation, and to discuss the upcoming trial in Peru, including numerous problems with the Peruvian legal system that concern the Berenson family, legal experts, and many in the U.S. who support due process, fair treatment under the law, and justice for all.
WHO: Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY)
Reverend Jesse Jackson
Mark Berenson, Lori s father
Bob Schwartz, Berenson legal defense team
Tom Nooter, Berenson legal defense team
WHEN: Tuesday, September 5, 2000 at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Office of the Peruvian Consul General to the United States
215 Lexington Avenue, between 32nd and
33rd Streets
WHY: A Peruvian military tribunal has voided Lori Berenson's conviction of treason in recognition of the woefully unjust military show trial she was paraded through in 1995. Lori has spent more than 4 1/2 years in Peruvian jail cells, suffering grossly inhumane conditions and months of solitary confinement. Lori's family and supporters are extremely worried that she will not receive a fair hearing through the Peruvian court system.
In its annual report on international human rights practices, the U.S. State Department highlighted serious concerns over the rule of law within the Peruvian government, stating Peru has, a dominant executive branch that often uses its control of the legislature and the judiciary to the detriment of the democratic process The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, in practice the judicial system is inefficient, often subject to corruption, and easily controlled by the executive branch. Lori's mother, Rhoda, is currently in Peru and has conveyed news about Lori's situation to her family here in New York.