Former South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was released on parole this Friday, almost 11 years after murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, as confirmed by South African authorities. Pistorius killed the 29-year-old model, shooting four times through the bathroom door of her home in Pretoria (South Africa) when she was inside, on Valentine's Day 2013. The former athlete claimed that he had confused Steenkamp with an intruder who had entered the home through the bathroom window. At the time of the murder, Pistorius was at the peak of his career and had amassed a fortune from his sporting career. Neither the judges nor the victim's family have ever believed his version.
The judicial process captured the attention of media outlets around the world. The athlete was sentenced in 2014 to five years in prison for reckless homicide, but the Prosecutor's Office appealed the ruling. A year later, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the conviction, found him guilty of murder and referred the case back to a lower court which, in 2016, sentenced Pistorius to six years in prison. After another appeal from the prosecutor's office, the sentence was increased to 15 years in 2017. Finally, the sentence was set at 13 years and five months after deducting the time that the former athlete had already spent in prison. “Oscar Pistorius is on parole, effective January 5, 2024. He was admitted to the community prison system and is now at home,” the Department of Correctional Services of the African country confirmed in a statement.
Pistorius, now 37, spent a total of about eight and a half years in prison and seven months under house arrest before being sentenced for murder. This November, during a closed-door hearing at Pretoria's Atteridgeville prison, a parole board decided he could be released after serving more than half of his sentence. This Wednesday, the Department of Correctional Services already announced that, despite the inmate's “high public profile,” the “general conditions” of the parole regime will apply to him, such as being home at certain times of day and not consuming alcohol. or other substances. “Pistorius is prohibited from conducting interviews with the media,” the public body added. An official will monitor Pistorius until his sentence expires in December 2029 and will have to report whether he is looking for work or moving. He must also continue anger management therapy and attend sessions on gender violence as part of his parole requirements.
The slain model's mother, June Steenkamp, has released a statement on behalf of the family: “There can never be justice if your loved one never returns, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back.” “We, those who are left behind, are the ones who serve life sentences,” she added. She also regrets that “the intensity of the (media) coverage of the trial and the former athlete's requests for parole has caused the “loss of his privacy” and has made it difficult for the victim's family to “grieve in peace” . Nevertheless, Steenkamp has assured that the conditions imposed to grant Pistorius parole have reaffirmed his confidence in the South African justice system, as they send a clear message that gender violence is taken seriously. “The conditions imposed by the parole board, which include anger management courses and programs on gender violence, send a clear message that gender violence is taken seriously,” the mother added.
The former athlete had already requested conditional release in 2022, arguing that his time in prison had been unjustly extended and he had already exceeded the minimum to qualify for that measure. He also maintained that he felt remorse for what he had done and that he had attempted to rehabilitate himself by every means possible. But his request was finally denied last March. Pistorius took his case to the Constitutional Court of South Africa, which ruled in October that the athlete was eligible for that regime.
Pistorius was born with fibular hemimelia, a genetic malformation that required both of his legs to be amputated halfway between the knees and ankles when he was almost a year old. From a very young age he became interested in playing various sports, but it was athletics that brought him fame. He was a renowned Paralympic sprinter who achieved world records in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes for athletes who had suffered double amputations. He was also the first athlete with this physical disability to attend an Olympic event, competing in the London Olympic Games in 2012 and qualifying for the semifinals of the 400-meter dash. The image running in this test on his carbon fiber prosthesis went around the world. Just a few months after the event, at the peak of his career, Pistorius murdered his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
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