Peruvian judge paroles Lori Berenson after 15 years in prison for aiding rebels

Peru judge paroles New York woman

LIMA, Peru — A Peruvian judge granted parole Tuesday to Lori Berenson, a 40-year-old New York woman who has served 15 years in prison for aiding leftist rebels.

Judge Jessica Leon issued an order for the conditional release of Berenson from the Lima prison where the American is being held, but said she must stay in Peru.

Berenson, who gave birth to a son a year ago, nodded assent but did not speak when asked by the judge if she accepted the decision.

“I’m happy with the sentence because justice was done,” said her lawyer, Anibal Apari, who is also the father of Berenson’s child, Salvador.

He said Berenson would be freed within 24 hours.

Berenson was arrested in 1995 and accused of aiding the leftist Tupac Amaru Revolutionary movement. The former Massachussets Institute of Technology student was sentenced to life in prison for terrorism by a military court the following year.

A civilian court retried her in 2000, convicting her of the lesser crime of terrorist collaboration and reducing her sentence to 20 years.

Berenson has long denied any wrongdoing and maintained she was a political prisoner.

Peruvian police alleged she helped coordinate Tupac Amaru activities as well as obtain weapons for the group.