Nelson Mandela's death prompted an outpouring of grief from world
leaders and others who honored the beloved South African leader's life
and legacy.
Convicted of treason and sentenced to life
imprisonment for leading a campaign of sabotage and conspiracy against
the government, Mandela spent 27 years behind bars before he was freed
in 1990. Yet he was able to help guide an anti-apartheid crusade
smuggling messages from the prison. As time passed — the
"long, lonely, wasted years," as he said — international awareness of
apartheid grew more acute. By the time Mandela turned 70, he was the
world's most famous political prisoner and an icon of democracy, freedom and justice, winning a 1993 Nobel Peace Prize and serving as South Africa's first black president.
South African President Jacob Zuma said that Mandela would be given a
state funeral and ordered all flags in the nation to be lowered to half
mast until after the funeral.
The BBC reported that the funeral
will be held next Saturday in the Eastern Cape village of Qunu where
Mandela was born. It is thought that Mandela's body will lie in state in
Pretoria for three days ahead of that.
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