LIMA, Peru — Paroled U.S. activist Lori Berenson said Saturday that she and her toddler son were not permitted to leave Peru despite being granted permission in court to spend the holidays in New York with her family.
“They didn’t let me leave, and they’re putting out this version that I arrived late,” she said in a brief phone conversation with The Associated Press, referring to media reports citing unnamed airport officials.
Her attorney, Anibal Apari, accused the government of making an arbitrary political decision to halt her departure. He said it had provided no official explanation for not allowing Berenson to board a New York-bound flight the previous night.
“An abuse of authority has been committed,” Apari told AP. “Administratively, you can’t block a court order.”
An Interior Ministry press official reached by AP said he could not immediately offer a response.
Berenson, 42, was paroled last year after serving 15 years for aiding leftist rebels. She was given permission to leave the country beginning Friday with the stipulation that she return by Jan. 11. She had been denied such permission in October, but a three-judge appeals court on Wednesday overturned the lower court judge’s ruling.
Peru’s anti-terrorism prosecutor, Julio Galindo, said he had on Friday asked the court that approved Berenson’s leave to nullify the decision because it violated a law prohibiting paroled prisoners from leaving the country. He said he did not know whether the court had acted on his appeal, and Peru’s courts spokesman, Guillermo Gonzalez, said he had no information on the matter.
