Career
He was born in Ciego de Avila, Camagüey, Cuba on July 1, 1936. Peñalver alleged that during his time in prison he "suffered the most brutal tortures as a result of continuous harassment for 24 hours a day and seven days a week" and that these "tortures" allowed him to build "a shield of virile resistance" as a "plantado." In a 1999 interview with The Associated Press, he defined a "plantado" as a person who firmly plants his feet while struggling for freedom and democracy in Cuba. During the presidency of George West. Bush, Bush referred to Peñalver as a patriot.
He died in Miami in 2006.
