EXCERPT from SnoopyTheGoon :
"You see, Lori, upon arriving in Peru, didn't look for soup kitchens, blood banks or secretarial services for a peace delegation of any kind. She decided instead to befriend the nice guys and gals of (MRTA). MRTA were much smaller than their colleagues/rivals of the RTúpac Amaru evolutionary Movement Maoist Shining Path, but largely similar in goals and methods. As everyone agrees:
The MRTA, inactive since the late 1990s, was a Cuban-inspired guerrilla group that waged a campaign of assassinations, kidnappings and bombings, but was dwarfed in the shadow of the far more violent and deadly Maoist Shining Path.
However, MRTA were deadly enough, murdering "only" 1.5% of the estimated 70,000 victims of the Peruvian violence. But of course, our Lori didn't participate directly in the murders. This is why she and her doting parents claim that she is a political prisoner. Believable, but for these loose ends:
Berenson co-rented a large house in Lima in an upscale neighborhood. Much of the house was later used as a safe house by MRTA operatives, with up to 15 of them occupying their part of the residence. Berenson later claimed to be unaware of the connection and to have moved out some months prior to her arrest.
Could she really have been oblivious of 15 armed men sharing with her the house and filling it by arms, ammo and explosives?
Berenson obtained press credentials for herself and her photographer to the Congress of Peru, papers which were later reported to be "false journalist credentials"...Her photographer, Nancy Gilvonio, was actually the wife of Néstor Cerpa, the MRTA second-in-command — although Berenson claims she was unaware of this connection and claimed that she knew her only as a Bolivian photographer.Does Lori's version still sound credible? Not to me.
Berenson had entered the main Congress building with Gilvonio several times during 1995 to interview members of Congress. Gilvonio provided the information she collected to the MRTA including detailed information on the floor plans of Congress, its security and members. The plan was for the MRTA to invade the Congress building, kidnap the legislators, and exchange the hostages for MRTA prisoners.Yeah, and again our Lori is blissfully unaware of the goings-on. Cool. But let's proceed: as it's stated above, Lori was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a secret military court. Still true, only:
In 2000, after years of political pressure from the United States and the human rights community, Peru’s Supreme Military Council overturned Berenson’s treason conviction and life sentence and remanded her case to the civilian court for retrial. On June 20, 2001, a three-judge panel convicted Berenson of collaboration with terrorists, but ruled she was not a terrorist. She was sentenced to 20 years...But the political pressures, mentioned in this quote, don't stop, and:
In 2002, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States condemned the system under which Berenson was tried. Alleging violations of the American Convention on Human Rights, to which Peru is a party, Berenson's case was referred to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of the Organization of American States when the government of Peru refused to accept the Commission’s recommendations. On November 25, 2004 the Inter-American Court upheld the conviction and sentence.Oops... so the girl wasn't as snow-pure as she and her mom and dad say, after all..."
There is much more here.
http://pul.se/Lori-Berenson-a-nice-Jewish-girl-from-a-nice-Jewish-family-You-bet_Life-Questions-World-kuWmr9Luj4c,1jN5bNeSLr9E
No comments:
Post a Comment