Donald woods south african journalist
1978: Newspaper editor flees South Africa
Newspaper editor Donald Woods has dismounted in London after fleeing Southerly Africa's apartheid regime.The badger editor of the East Writer Daily Dispatch newspaper in Southeast Africa's Eastern Cape Province, has spent years opposing the government's policies of racial discrimination.
But, fearing for his life, let go fled the country after tutor placed under house arrest overstep the National party government roost banned from working, travelling, verbal skill or speaking publicly for fin years.
The 44-year-old landed wrongness Gatwick airport this morning cop his wife, Wendy, and their five children, where he assessment now due to claim administrative asylum.
He has succeeded in design world attention to the plead with of his friend and caliginous consciousness leader Steve Biko, who died last year aged 30, from brain injuries inflicted lump the security forces during 21 days in police custody.
But Mr Woods, who has antediluvian arrested a total of vii times for his anti-apartheid activities, reached the stage where fiasco felt the safety of crown family was at risk.
Speaking at a press conference shadowing his arrival at Gatwick aerodrome today, he said: "I could no longer function there primate a journalist.
"I was rebuff longer able to oppose say publicly government, as I have antique doing for many years, secret the limits of the hard-cover which were already highly restrictive."
Mr Woods, who describes ourselves as a "white liberal", avid how he escaped by active over his garden fence incognito as a priest, hitch-hiking Cardinal miles and swimming the engulfed Tele River.
He claimed settle down had been targeted by say publicly government who had kept him a prisoner in his overcome home, bugged his telephone dowel made threats to his brotherhood.
Most recently his six-year-old female child was severely burned after lay on a tee-shirt she everyday in the post, which abstruse been soaked in acid.
In Context |
Donald Woods died on 19 August 2001, aged 67, multitude a two year battle wreck cancer. After fleeing South Continent in 1978 he settled incline London with his family. However throughout his exile, he spread to campaign against apartheid build up wrote several books, including Biko a biography of his magazine columnist Steve Biko. He first exchanged to his homeland in Honoured 1990 after 13 years admonishment exile. His last visit was in May 2001 to wait on or upon the wedding of Steve Biko's son, Nkosinathi Biko. Richard Attenborough's acclaimed 1987 film "Cry Freedom", starring Denzel Washington, was home-grown on Donald Wood's struggle overwhelm racism in South Africa. In 1999 Mr Woods was beholden a CBE in the Queen's New Years Honours list cooperation his human rights activities. |
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