Spanish Royal Family hosted a dinner for President Jose Mujica Cordano

Spain Royal Family hosted a dinner in honor of Jose Mujica Cordano, President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. José Mujica, Uruguayan politician who served as president of Uruguay (2010–15) after being long imprisoned for his guerrilla activities with the Tupamaro revolutionary organization.

Mujica was born to parents of modest means and grew up in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Montevideo. In the early 1960s Mujica joined the Tupamaro, a revolutionary organization founded by Raúl Sendic and others whose goal was to undermine Uruguay’s repressive leadership. Within a few years the Tupamaro turned to violent actions, including arson, political kidnappings, and assassinations of a number of police officers and some others. Mujica was arrested several times for his activities and was convicted in 1971 of having killed a police officer. He escaped from prison twice but was recaptured both times and served some 14 years in all. As a prisoner of the brutal military dictatorship that seized power in a coup in June 1973, Mujica was tortured and spent long periods of time in solitary confinement, including two years at the bottom of a well.