[2] A study by the public defender's office in seven of 13 regions reported that during 2005, 59 percent of prisoners claimed to have been victims of abuse or attacks.
Punta Peuco Prison is a special facility specifically built in 1995[3] for human rights offenders located on the outskirts of Santiago, holds around 70 inmates and is considerably more comfortable than a standard Chilean jail.
On 22 July 1995 some 1,500 people, many of them members of the army, attended a rally outside the Punta Peuco prison in solidarity for Brigadier Espinoza.
[4] Inmates have included Manuel Contreras, Raúl Iturriaga, Pedro Espinoza and Marcelo Moren Brito.
[6] The fire broke out at 5:30am Chile Daylight Time (8:30am GMT) on the third floor, reportedly during a fight between rival gangs who set mattresses alight.
[6] 81 inmates were reported killed, and 14 suffered life-threatening burns, according to health minister Jaime Mañalich.
[7] According to Chile's Fundacion Paz Ciudadana, the prison's capacity is 892, but was heavily overcrowded with 1,654 inmates.