World IN BRIEF : PERU : Life Sentence for U.S. Woman Upheld

An American woman serving a life sentence after being convicted of aiding leftist rebels has exhausted her appeals in Peru and may turn to international human rights tribunals for help. The Peruvian military’s Supreme Council upheld the life term for Lori Berenson, a New York native. Berenson’s attorney, Grimaldo Achahui, said that, under Peruvian law, there is no appeal beyond the Supreme Council in cases tried in military court. Berenson, 26, was convicted of treason for helping rebels in a foiled plot to kidnap congressional representatives. Berenson’s family and the U.S. State Department have objected to Berenson’s trial, saying she should have been tried in an open civilian court.