06/12/2013 President
Strasbourg, 06.12.2013 – “I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Nelson Mandela,” said Jean-Claude Mignon, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today, while praising the former South African President’s unstinting commitment to a free, fair and democratic society in which human rights are respected.
“Through his relentless efforts to bring about reconciliation between communities and after 27 years of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela succeeded in putting an end to the apartheid regime and laid the foundations for a new, fully democratic South Africa.
He will remain one of the most iconic figures in the fight against racial discrimination, as well as a source of inspiration for all those involved in combating racism and intolerance”, added President Jean-Claude Mignon.