On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison after serving 27 years as a political prisoner. Mandela had been the face of the struggle against Apartheid, South Africa's institutionalized system of racial segregation. His release followed years of international pressure, economic sanctions, and internal unrest. President F.W. de Klerk's decision to unban the African National Congress (ANC) and release Mandela signaled the beginning of the end of white minority rule. Following his release, Mandela led negotiations to dismantle Apartheid and establish multiracial elections. In 1994, he was elected as South Africa's first Black president. His release is remembered as a triumph of reconciliation over retribution and a landmark event in the global history of human rights and decolonization.