Charlayne Hunter-Gault gets an update on the hostage situation from NPR reporter Jonathan Miller. Jim Lehrer speaks with journalist Jonathan Miller, reporting live from Peru. In a stunning attack, a band of Peruvian rebels stormed the Japanese embassy in Lima holding 490 hostage. Browse NewsHour coverage of Latin America . We have documented cases of torture by the police of detainees.
Peruvian prisons are among the harshest on the continent.
Prisoners are sometimes held in isolation for long periods of time, at painfully cold tempertaures and without adequate medical care. To this extent some of the issues raised by the Tupac Amaru had a basis in fact though of course that does not justify the methods they used to pursue their goals. I am sure Amnesty International is aware of Peruvian prison conditions. Everything is relative, however, I would not relish the idea of incarceration anywhere, perhaps in the United States.