Mandela was imprisoned from 1962 to 1990
It is a fact that Mandela was imprisoned from 1962 to 1990. On August 5, 1962, police captured Mandela and fellow campaigner Cecil Williams near Howick. Many MK members felt that the government had been tipped off about Mandela's movements, though Mandela himself dismissed these theories. In later years, Donald Rickard, a former American diplomat, disclosed that the CIA had alerted South African authorities of Mandela's location because it was concerned about his associations with communists. Mandela was imprisoned in Johannesburg's Marshall Square prison on charges of encouraging workers' strikes and leaving the country without authorization.
On July 11, 1963, police invaded Liliesleaf Farm, detaining individuals who were present and discovering documents documenting MK's actions, some of which included Mandela. The Rivonia Trial began in October in the Pretoria Supreme Court, with Mandela and his colleagues charged with four charges of sabotage and conspiracy to violently overthrow the government; Percy Yutar was their chief prosecutor. Despite the fact that four of the accused denied any affiliation with MK, Mandela and the other five accused admitted to sabotaging but denied ever agreeing to launch a guerrilla war against the government. They utilized the trial to emphasize their political cause; Mandela delivered his three-hour "I Am Prepared to Die" speech at the start of the defense's proceedings. Despite state censorship, that speech, which was inspired by Castro's "History Will Absolve Me," was extensively publicized in the press.
The trial drew international attention; there were global appeals for the accused's release from the United Nations and World Peace Council, and Mandela was elected president of the University of London Union. On June 12, 1964, Justice De Wet convicted Mandela and two of his co-accused guilty of all four crimes; despite the prosecution's request for the death penalty, the court sentenced them to life in prison.
