( CNN ) -- Lori Berenson , an American activist convicted of aiding Peruvian terrorists , returned to Peru after spending the holidays with her family in New York , family members said . Berenson is on parole in Peru through 2015 but was given permission to leave the country to be with her family . The move was controversial because some believed that Berenson would not come back to Peru to complete her sentence . She returned Thursday night to Lima on a flight from Newark , New Jersey , said her mother , Rhoda Berenson . `` That is the law and she had to do it , '' she said . Rhoda Berenson said the family 's time together was appreciated and that she expects her daughter to return to the United States at the end of her sentence in 2015 . Under the permission granted by the court , Berenson could have remained in the United States until January 11 . Berenson was sentenced to life in prison in 1995 for collaborating with the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement to attack the nation 's Congress and overthrow the government . Her sentence was reduced to 20 years on appeal . She was released from Lima 's Chorrillos Penitentiary in November 2010 after a Peruvian court granted her parole . In 2009 , while in prison , Berenson gave birth to a son who was fathered by Apari , her estranged husband who is also her attorney . The boy lived with her in prison until her release . CNN 's Adriana Hauser contributed to this report .
Rhoda Berenson had permission to be in Peru until 2015 . She returned to Peru 2015 . Her family says they enjoyed her visit . Berenson is on parole until the completion of her sentence in January 11 .