South Africa: Oscar Pistorius released on parole

Former South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius is released from prison this Friday, on parole almost eleven years after the murder of his partner Reeva Steenkamp in a case that rocked the planet.

The former double amputee, who has served more than half his sentence and is 37 years old, is due to leave Atteridgeville prison on the outskirts of the capital Pretoria. Neither timing nor logistical details were released by authorities due to “security” reasons.

The six-time Paralympic champion is banned from speaking to the media and prison authorities have warned that press outside the prison will not be given the opportunity to photograph him.

On the night of 13–14 February 2013, Oscar Pistorius killed 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through her bedroom bathroom door in his ultra-secure home in Pretoria.

A year earlier, the athlete had become legendary by finishing among the able-bodied men in the 400m at the London Olympics, a first for a double amputee.

Arrested in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, Pistorius denied shooting in a fit of rage, claiming he believed a robber was present. A version he maintained throughout the legal saga that kept the media on edge for the next four years.

The Steenkamp family still doesn’t believe Oscar’s version of events

In his first trial, which began in 2014 and was broadcast live on television, the runner, nicknamed “Blade Runner” after his carbon fiber prosthetics, was jailed for five years for manslaughter.

However, the prosecution considers the sentence “scandalously lenient” and calls for it to be reclassified as murder. After several calls and a rough reading of the victim’s autopsy report that made the accused vomit, the latter was finally sentenced to 13 years and 5 months in prison for murder in late 2017.

South African law provides that a person convicted of murder is entitled to a reduced sentence after serving half of the sentence. At the end of November, prison authorities announced the early release of Oscar Pistorius.

The Steenkamp family did not formally object to his parole. But June Steenkamp, ​​the victim’s mother, said she still did not believe Oscar’s “version of the facts” and said she was convinced the latter had “not been rehabilitated” in prison.

As part of his parole until his sentence ends in 2029, Oscar Pistorius must undergo therapy on anger management and violence against women. He is prohibited from drinking alcohol. He must also perform community service but must be present at a designated house in a Pretoria suburb at certain times of the day.