The Los Angeles City Council on Oct. 31 adopted a resolution urging the government of Peru to release Laurie Berenson, a United States citizen who remains incarcerated after military and civilian proceedings in Peru.
Speakers at a public hearing described Berenson's case as a miscarriage of justice and said international observers, Amnesty International and members of the U.S. Congress had raised due‑process concerns. "Laurie Berenson is a 30‑year‑old U.S. citizen ... wrongfully convicted of treason," said Frank Dorrall, a member of the local advocacy committee. Don White cited human‑rights reports and noted a range of U.S. congressional supporters who had called for the case to be reviewed.
Patricia Todd, representing the Committee to Free Laurie Berenson, told the council that Berenson's military conviction had been annulled and transferred to civilian court but that the group continued to call for immediate release and intervention from the U.S. government. The council recorded the vote in favor of the resolution as 11 ayes.
Councilmember Goldberg was the floor sponsor of the item; the council adopted the resolution after the public hearing and vote.