There is no way on this earth that Lori could have a fair trial in Peru. A house built on a weak foundation cannot stand

Mark Berenson

However, her parents claim that their daughter is unlikely to get a fair trial.

In front of journalists and television cameras, this is her first chance in more than five years to argue against charges that she worked with left-wing terrorists to plan an attack on Congress.

Ms Berenson, who is being retried in a courtroom in one of Lima's largest men's prisons, sat behind bars in a concrete cell facing a panel of three judges as the charges against her were read. She was flanked by two anti-terrorism police officers.

Prosecutors are now calling for her to serve another 20 years in prison on lesser charges of collaboration with the Marxist Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA).

Lori's parents, Rhoda and Mark Berenson, are in Lima to support their 31-year-old daughter. But they say that this new trial still violates due process and should not go ahead.

'Presumed guilty'

"I'm very concerned. There is no way on this earth that Lori could have a fair trial in Peru. A house built on a weak foundation cannot stand," said Mr Berenson.

The Berensons say their daughter is unlikely to get a fair trial

"There's no sense going into the courtroom when you've had over two dozen violations of Lori's basic fundamental human rights from 28 August of the year 2000 until today."

However, polls show that the majority of Peruvians believe that she is guilty of being a leader of the MRTA, which won notoriety in 1997 for its hostage siege of the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima.

Many remember her comments at a press conference after being detained, when she said the MRTA was a revolutionary movement and contained no terrorists.

But with the re-trial hearings expected to last four to six weeks, and with a possible appeal after that, no one is expecting a quick resolution of the Lori Berenson case.