"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. During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I was made, by the law, a criminal, not because of what I had done, but because of what I stood for, because of what I thought, because of my conscience."

Nelson Mandela, statement from the dock at the conclusion of the Rivonia Trial, Palace of Justice, Pretoria, 20 April 1964. Mandela and seven other ANC leaders had been charged with sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.