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Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Who Battled Apartheid and Championed Human Rights, Dies at 90

HeadlineDec 27, 2021

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South African anti-apartheid icon who championed human rights struggles around the globe, died on Sunday at the age of 90. In 1984, Desmond Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work fighting to end white minority rule in South Africa. That same year, he traveled to Washington, where he denounced the Reagan administration’s support of the apartheid government. After the fall of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s first Black president, Archbishop Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he pushed for restorative justice. Tutu was a prominent opponent of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He condemned the Israeli occupation of Palestine and spoke out against torture and the death penalty.

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