On 4 April 1980, the Embassy of Peru in Havana granted diplomatic protection to over 10,000 Cuban citizens, located in the embassy's property of about only 2,000 square meters, eventually allowing over 120,000 Cubans to leave the country, since the incident lead to the so-called Mariel boatlift. Peruvian diplomat spearheaded the diplomatic effort to protect Cubans, most of whom were disapproved of by the Fidel Castro government and seeking diplomatic protection at the Peruvian embassy.