Berenson barred from leaving Peru

LIMA (AP) ― Peru’s government abused its authority by barring paroled U.S. activist Lori Berenson and her 31-month-old son from leaving the country to spend the holidays in New York City with her family, her lawyer charged Saturday.

“Administratively, you can’t block a court order,’’ Anibal Apari said after Berenson told the Associated Press that she and her son Salvador were prevented from boarding a flight Friday night despite being granted permission in court.

“They didn’t let me leave and they’re putting out this version that I arrived late,’’ she said in a brief phone conversation.

Local media had initially reported, citing unnamed airport officials, that Berenson arrived late for the flight. But video taken by a local TV channel showed her pacing nervously in front the Continental Airlines ticket counter and talking with an agent more than an hour before the flight left.

“An abuse of authority has been committed,’’ Apari told the AP. Apari, who is Salvador’s father but is separated from Berenson, blamed the Interior Ministry directly and said no official explanation had been provided.

He said Berenson presented the document issued by the judiciary authorizing her departure to migration officials at the airport but they demanded an additional document they referred to as “an exit order.’’

“It doesn’t exist. They made it up,’’ he said of the purported document.

The Interior Ministry’s communications chief, Zully Bismarck, said she was not immediately able to address the issue when reached by the AP on Saturday afternoon.