On 19 February 1937 (Yekatit 12 in the Ethiopian calendar), two Eritreans attempted to assassinate the Viceroy of Italian East Africa, Rodolfo Graziani. Graziani's revenge was swift, and over one thousand people were incarcerated at Alem Bekagn, with many tortured and killed by crushing with ropes. The prison remained in use throughout the Italian occupation, and still contained prisoners when Allied troops liberated Addis Ababa on 6 April 1941.