February 11
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Leading anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela has been freed from prison in South Africa after 27 years. His release follows the relaxation of apartheid laws - including lifting the ban on leading black rights party the African National Congress (ANC) - by South African President FW de Klerk. Mr Mandela appeared at the gates of Victor-Verster Prison in Paarl at 1614 local time - an hour late - with his wife Winnie. Holding her hand and dressed in a light brown suit and tie he smiled at theecstaticcrowds and punched the air in a victory salute before taking a silver BMW sedan to Cape Town, 40 miles away. Doctors treated over a hundred people as police clashed with youths looting shops in various cities and townships and several people were reported shot dead. Mr Mandela, the deputy-president of the ANC, appeared on the balcony of Cape Town's City Hall to speak to the 50,000 people assembled outside at 2000 local time. He acknowledged Mr de Klerk was a man of integrity, but said: "Our struggle has reached a decisive moment. Our march to freedom is irreversible." "Now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. To relax now would be a mistake which future generations would not forgive," he continued. As he addressed the crowd South African state television broadcast a profile of Mr Mandela - including a BBC interview from 1961 - which was the first time he had been shown speaking on TV. Now 71, the lawyer from the Transkei homeland was convicted of treason and sabotage in June 1964 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent most of his sentence on Robben Island, off Cape Town, doing hard labour. Since the 1980s he has refused numerous offers for early release from the government in Pretoria because of the conditions attached. Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar, brought in by the Shah only last month in an effort to win back popular support, has resigned and disappeared. Iran radio is reporting rumours he has committed suicide after his home in North Tehran was attacked and burned down. Abandoned tanks Civilian demonstators have again been on the streets today, seizing control of police and fire stations, forcing the officers to flee and arming themselves with the weapons they found inside. Khomeini set the country on a collision course five days ago when he established a provisional government under Mehdi Bazargan and called on people to demonstrate their support for an Islamic regime. Ten people died in a battle for one police station today. In total the death toll is now put at 200 with 700 injured. Demonstrators have taken control of the airport and radio and television station, where staff who had been on strike in support of the Ayatollah returned immediately and began broadcasting news about the takeover of the country. Elsewhere protesters have set fire to barricades across the streets, even in the heart of the main shopping and business districts of the city. Abandoned tanks have been left behind after soldiers previously loyal to the Shah have switched allegiances. Foreign embassies have been raided for their weapons. The only remaining resistance came from soldiers of the elite Imperial Guard, who were defending their headquarters in the north of the city at Lavizan and at two royal palaces. An announcement on television said the three bases had been surrounded by revolutionary forces and negotiations were under way for their surrender. Although there was no official announcement from Dr Bakhtiar of his resignation, the news has been repeatedly broadcast by the media. There had been rumours of a possible military coup. But a meeting of senior generals this afternoon acknowledged this would split the army and cause serious bloodshed. They put out a statement at 1400 local time ordering troops to return to their garrisons in order to prevent further bloodshed andanarchy. anarchy: a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)（无政府状态） |
