Advertisement

Nelson Mandela has died, aged 95

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has died at age 95 of complications from a recurring lung infection.

NELSON MANDELA: Remembering the iconic leader

The anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was a beloved figure around the world, a symbol of reconciliation from a country with a brutal history of racism.

In 1994, in a historic election, he became the nation's first black leader.


Mandela spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of plotting to overthrow South Africa's apartheid government from 1964 to 1982.

His statement from the dock at the opening of the defense trial has been remembered as one of the most iconic statements throughout history:

He closed his statement with:

NELSON MANDELA: The extraordinary man

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people.

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.

"But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."