Lori : My Daughter, Wrongfully Imprisoned in Peru - Hardcover

Berenson, Rhoda; Chomsky, Noam

3.55

20 ratings by Goodreads

9781893956063: Lori : My Daughter, Wrongfully Imprisoned in Peru

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1893956067 ISBN 13: 9781893956063

Publisher: Context Books, 2000

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The mother of an imprisoned American anthropology student shares the heartbreaking story of how twenty-four-year-old Lori Berenson was arrested in Peru five years ago on flimsy charges of terrorism and is currently languishing in a hellish prison.

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From the Inside Flap:

On Friday, December 1, 1995, Rhoda Berenson received a phone call that would forever change her life. An official from the U.S. embassy in Peru called to say that her twenty-seven-year-old daughter had been arrested and charged with high treason against Peru. President Alberto Fujimori declaimed Lori as a threat to Peruvian national security. Absurd and totally surreal, this marked the beginning of what is now become a five-year nightmare for the Berenson family.

And the nightmare would take on unimaginable proportions. Charged as a leader of the Peruvian terrorist group, the MRTA (Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru), Lori was tried by hooded military officials. Without due process, and in the absence of any supporting evidence, this anonymous tribunal convicted Lori as charged. The Peruvian justice system broke four international treaties on legal rights, and even its own constitution, in order to do this. Human rights organizations called foul. Regardless, she was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Isolated in a Draconian mountaintop prison with no heat, electricity, or running water and less food than could sustain her, Lori's health swiftly deteriorated.

This is the Berenson's harrowing story, as told by her mother, a story that continues on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour basis. Wrenched from the quiet New York college classrooms where they both taught, Rhoda and Mark Berenson found themselves propelled into a world of sensitive politics, military courts, torture, corrupt prison commandants, terrorist insurgency and police reprisals. Berenson vividly records her impressions and the real story behind this several year struggle: the anger, the sadness, the behind-the-scenes negotiations with politicians, and the unwavering dedication. Excerpts from Lori Berenson's letters, and Rhoda Berenson's insightful account bring the reader close into the fold of this family and their ordeal.

The plight of all prisoners of conscience is exemplified in the experiences of Lori Berenson and her family. While shedding harsh light on the injustices that are routine in Peru, Rhoda Berenson's memoir is a moving testament to both a family's love and to the strength of spirit and character in us all.

About the Author:

Rhoda Berenson is a retired Professor of Physics at Nassau Community College. Since 1995, she and her husband Mark have devoted their lives to securing the release of their daughter from the Peruvian prison system. They live in New York City. Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ramsey Clark is former Attorney General of the United States.

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