page_title: Rivonia Trial
section_title: Results
hierarchical_section_title: Rivonia Trial / Results
caption_attribution_description: বাংলা: সর্বোচ্চ সুরক্ষিত কারাগার, রোবেন দ্বীপ English: Maximum Security Prison, Robben Island This place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as Robben Island. العربية&#160;| asturianu&#160;| беларуская&#160;| беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎&#160;| বাংলা&#160;| català&#160;| čeština&#160;| dansk&#160;| Deutsch&#160;| English&#160;| español&#160;| euskara&#160;| فارسی&#160;| français&#160;| עברית&#160;| hrvatski&#160;| magyar&#160;| bahasa Indonesia&#160;| italiano&#160;| 日本語&#160;| 한국어&#160;| latviešu&#160;| македонски&#160;| മലയാളം&#160;| مازِرونی&#160;| Nederlands&#160;| polski&#160;| português&#160;| português do Brasil&#160;| română&#160;| русский&#160;| sicilianu&#160;| slovenčina&#160;| slovenščina&#160;| Türkçe&#160;| українська&#160;| Tiếng Việt&#160;| 中文&#160;| 中文（中国大陆）‎&#160;| 中文（简体）‎&#160;| 中文（繁體）‎&#160;| 中文（台灣）‎&#160;| +/−
context_page_description: The Rivonia Trial took place in South Africa between 9 October 1963 and 12 June 1964. The Rivonia Trial led to the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and the others among the accused who were convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life at the Palace of Justice, Pretoria.
context_section_description: Although the prosecution did not formally request the death penalty, close observers of the trial considered such a sentence to be implicit in the prosecutor's presentation of his case.  Opposition to the death penalty included both public campaigns internationally and the defence's arguments within the courtroom.  Harold Hanson was called upon to argue in mitigation. He compared the African struggle for rights to the earlier Afrikaans struggle, citing precedents for temperate sentencing, even in cases of treason. Eight defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment; Lionel Bernstein was acquitted. Unsubstantiated evidence suggests that Hanson, in a private hearing with de Wet, persuaded him to commute the death sentence for high treason to life imprisonment.
  There was no surprise in the fact that Mandela, Sisulu, Mbeki, Motsoaledi, Mlangeni, and Goldberg were found guilty on all four counts. The defence had hoped that Mhlaba, Kathrada, and Bernstein might escape conviction because of the skimpiness of evidence that they were parties to the conspiracy, although undoubtedly they could be prosecuted on other charges. But Mhlaba too was found guilty on all counts, and Kathrada, on one charge of conspiracy. Bernstein, however, was found not guilty. He was rearrested, released on bail, and placed under house arrest. Later he fled the country.
  Denis Goldberg went to Pretoria Central Prison instead of Robben Island (at that time the only security wing for white political prisoners in South Africa), where he served 22 years.
caption: Maximum Security Prison
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