Located in an isolated area of Peru, Challapalca prison is subject to harsh conditions, including freezing temperatures and thin air, which severely impact the health of its inmates. The prison’s remote setting is so extreme that it lacks cell phone reception.
According to a document from July 1997 by Amnesty International, the organization disclosed that the independent Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos sought advice from high-altitude medical specialists on the implications of incarcerating prisoners at Challapalca.
Dr. Carlos Monge Casinelli, a Peruvian physician recognized for his expertise in high-altitude medicine, remarked, “Life is possible at 5,200 metres above sea level, but health is seriously affected. This is the opinion of international high altitude experts. In my opinion, a Penitentiary Establishment at that height can only be considered as making deliberate provision for a possible death penalty.”
Furthermore, a team from Peru’s Defensoría del Pueblo – Ombudsman’s Office, after visiting the facility, released a press statement indicating, “According to information compiled from a medical point of view, survival at more than 4,000 metres above sea level is difficult and presents serious risks to human health.”
