By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

          LIMA, Peru (AP) -- As a new government works to restore the
          credibility of Peru's democratic institutions, the lawyer for a New York
          woman facing terrorism charges said Tuesday he is hopeful that judicial
          reform will guarantee a fair trial for his client.

          ``Changes are now beginning that will gradually provide for independent
          judges and guarantees of due process,'' said Jose Luis Sandoval, defense
          attorney for Lori Berenson. ``It could affect the case favorably.''

          Berenson, 30, was sentenced to life in 1996 by a military court on
          charges of helping the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement plan a
          thwarted takeover of Peru's Congress.

          But after years of pressure from the United States, Peru's top military
          court overturned her conviction in August, granting her a new trial by a
          civilian court.

          Then last week, President Alberto Fujimori was ousted by Congress,
          ending a decade of authoritarian rule that included political control of a
          corruption-ridden judiciary.

          But Berenson's father, in Lima this week, said he does not have high
          hopes that his daughter will receive a fair trial.

          ``The violations of due process continue unabated. Lori has less than half
          an hour a week to see her lawyer,'' said Mark Berenson.

          Court action is expected after Christmas.

          Berenson has denied that she helped mastermind the alleged plot and
          insists she was never a member of the rebel group.

          She and her supporters have maintained that she was not allowed to
          present evidence at her first trial or to question prosecution witnesses
          before being sentenced.