Álvaro Cunhal

Álvaro Barreirinhas Cunhal (; 10 November 1913 – 13 June 2005) was a Portuguese communist revolutionary and politician. He was one of the major opponents of the dictatorial regime of the ''Estado Novo''. He served as secretary-general of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) from 1961 to 1992.

Arrested in 1940 and subjected to torture, he resumed the struggle as soon as he was released, after a few months' imprisonment. He took part in the reorganization of the PCP in 1940-1941. From 1941 to 1949, Cunhal lived "underground" and became the ''de facto'' party leader. Arrested by the PIDE in 1949, he remained in prison for 11 years until a spectacular escape from the seaside Peniche Fortress prison in 1960. After the overthrow of the dictatorship on April 25, 1974, he was a minister in several provisional governments; he was elected deputy to the Constituent Assembly in 1975 and deputy to the Assembly of the Republic from 1976. Provided by Wikipedia