Wilmington Ten Convicted on Arson Charges in North Carolina

Ten civil rights activists including Reverend Ben Chavis were convicted of arson and conspiracy following racial violence in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1971. Sentences totaled 282 years. Amnesty International declared them prisoners of conscience in 1976. The convictions were overturned in 1980 after witnesses recanted, citing prosecutorial misconduct and false testimony.