Iran has held a ceremony to honor former South African President Nelson Mandela as the man of peace, equality and freedom,Press TVreports.Foreign ambassadors and high-ranking Iranian officials, including Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, attended the event, dubbed as Commemoration Ceremony of Nelson Mandela, the Man of Peace and Freedom, on Monday.
The commemoration was organized by Tehran Municipalitys Culture and Arts Organization and held in Arasbaran Cultural Center.
Mandela is South Africas anti-apartheid icon who led the country to democracy in 1994.
South African Ambassador to Tehran Archie Whitehead said Mandela is an individual who took up the struggle for the liberation of his own people as a result of realizing the evil that went on around him and who then began to articulate the position of the African people in terms of the minimum demands for democracy.
The African hero became South Africas first Black president in the country's first multi-racial elections in 1994. He is called Africas elder statesman and is revered across the world for his role in ending apartheid in his homeland.
The former South African president has received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. In recent years, Mandelas health problems have worried his supporters.
Mandela was taken to hospital on June 8 for lung infection. His lung troubles date back to the 27 years he spent in prison.
On September 1, Mandela was reportedly discharged from hospital and returned home, where he was expected to receive intensive care.
By Press TV
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.
