On June 19, 1986, the Communist Party of Peru and the People’s Guerrilla Army launched an attack on the El Fronton, Lurigancho, and Callao prisons in Lima. This resulted in a fierce battle and more than 250 deaths. The attack is remembered as a symbol of resistance against the oppressive Peruvian government and imperialism.
In the years leading up to the Day of Heroism, the prisons had been transformed from annihilation zones into what Chairman Gonzalo described as “shining trenches of combat.”