pic6401. ‘Save These Lives’, 1964

pic6401. ‘Save These Lives’, 1964

After Nelson Mandela and seven of his co-accused were convicted of sabotage on 11 June 1964 there was a real danger that the trial judge would impose the death sentence. Supporters in London kept up a three-day vigil opposite South Africa House and 50 MPs marched from the House of Commons to present a petition to the South African ambassador. The vigil culminated in a rally in Trafalgar Square on 14 June. When the sentence of life imprisonment was announced on 12 June it was seen as a victory for the international campaign to save the lives of the eight men.

Category: 1960s
Copyright: Associated Press
Holding Institution: AAM Archive, Bodleian Library
Catalogue: MSS AAM 2402
Date/Year: 1964