Associated Press

LIMA, Peru, May 2 -- Lawyers for an American woman being tried on terrorism charges asked the presiding judge today to remove himself from the case, accusing
him of being biased and linked to Peru's fugitive ex-spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos.

Attorney Jose Sandoval submitted the transcript of a videotape, secretly made by Montesinos and seen earlier by Congress, that showed Montesinos referring to
Judge Marcos Ibazeta as a member of "the team."

Supporters of New York native Lori Berenson, 31, maintain that the charges against her were concocted by Montesinos and former president Alberto Fujimori to
show they were tough on terrorism.

Sandoval also argued that two July 1999 newspaper reports demonstrated Ibazeta's bias against Berenson. He said the articles quoted the judge as calling possible
retrials of Berenson and several guerrilla leaders "irrational."

A military court in 1996 sentenced Berenson to life in prison for allegedly plotting with the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement to take over Peru's Congress and
exchange hostages for imprisoned rebels. Her conviction was overturned last year, leading to the current civilian trial on lesser charges of "terrorist collaboration."

Ibazeta, who listened calmly to the allegations without responding, suspended the trial until Friday, when the court may rule on the motion to remove the judge.

The two judges overseeing the trial with Ibazeta will rule with a third judge. If Ibazeta is removed, the trial, which started six weeks ago, will have to start over,
Sandoval said.

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