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Sender: announcements-list-request@freelori.org<br><br>
<br>
Friday, December 3, 2004<br><br>
Dear Friends and Supporters of Lori Berenson:<br><br>
<br>
INTER-AMERICAN COURT REVERSES INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION IN LORI'S
CASE<br><br>
Yesterday was a tragic day for human rights in the Western
Hemisphere<br>
and in the world. In the early morning President Toledo preempted
the<br>
Inter-American Court's official decision and addressed his nation on
TV<br>
and radio, praising the Court for Peru's "victory" over Lori
and<br>
terrorism. We were finally notified of the verdict late in
the<br>
afternoon. Peruvian sources state that Lori's case marked the
first<br>
time in its history that the Inter-American Court reversed a decision
of<br>
the Inter-American Commission.<br><br>
AN INEXPLICABLE RESULT AND A SAD DAY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS<br><br>
By supporting the position of the Peruvian government against the<br>
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of<br>
American States, which ruled unanimously, 7 - 0, to condemn the
system<br>
under which Lori was twice tried, the Inter-American Court of Human<br>
Rights, the highest judicial body in the Western Hemisphere, has<br>
incomprehensibly reversed its own position for the past 12 years
and<br>
demonstrated support for the judicial processes promulgated by the<br>
totalitarian regime of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori
and<br>
his "advisor" Vladimiro Montesinos. <br><br>
There was one dissenting vote. The Chilean Justice strongly argued
that<br>
the laws under which Lori were tried violated the American Convention
on<br>
Human Rights and because of that Lori should be granted immediate<br>
liberty.<br><br>
We are greatly saddened, not only for Lori, but for all people<br>
wrongfully convicted and denied due process and fundamental rights<br>
throughout the Western Hemisphere who look to the Inter-American
Human<br>
Rights system for help. This system has failed. <br><br>
This is a defeat we could not have expected in our wildest dreams.
We<br>
spoke with Lori and she stoically said the same. She was quite calm
but<br>
extremely saddened for the hundreds of Peruvian political prisoners
who<br>
looked at her case with hope that a correct decision would
eventually<br>
allow them to receive real justice in Peru. <br><br>
A HOPE FOR A BETTER TOMORROW<br><br>
Once again, we want to express our appreciation for your friendship
and<br>
support that have helped sustain us over these nine years and many<br>
sleepless or nightmarish nights. <br>
<br>
Despite this agonizing personal disappointment today, and despite
the<br>
horrific problems we read about daily which occur around the world,
we<br>
will never lose the hope that as long as people, like Lori, stand up
to<br>
injustice, the children of our planet will have a better tomorrow.<br>
<br><br>
Rhoda and Mark Berenson<br>
English Website:
<a href="http://www.freelori.org /" eudora="autourl">www.freelori.org
</a> <br>
Spanish Website:
<a href="http://www.lorilibre.org/" eudora="autourl">www.lorilibre.org</a>
<br><br>
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