When traveling abroad this summer, foot and mouth disease is not the only thing ISU students will have to fear.

Members of the ISU community have gotten very involved in the perils of Lori Berenson.

Berenson is a human rights activist from New York who has been held as a political prisoner in Peru for the last five years, with no release date on the horizon.

When traveling abroad, it is important to remember that most other countries do not have legal systems with all the safeguards of the United States’.

For example, Berenson is allowed only one hour per week with a lawyer and is considered guilty until proven innocent.

Students visiting other countries need to make sure they know the laws.

Something as simple as shoplifting can have extreme and brutal consequences in other nations.

As in Berenson’s situation, politics between countries can exascerbate a situation and lead to higher penalties.

Also, there are many people in other countries on the lookout for an American to trick into trafficking drugs.

Those accused of drug trafficking, whether they were set up or not, can be jailed for many, many years without a fair trial – or even given the death penalty in some places.

Don’t let anybody touch your bags, and don’t take packages or gifts from strangers, no matter how nice they seem.

When traveling to other countries this summer, have fun and enjoy the sights, but be careful of whom you trust.

editorialboard: Carrie Tett, Jocelyn Marcus, Katie Goldsmith, Andrea Hauser and Tim Paluch