Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympian, is scheduled for parole release nearly 11 years after the tragic shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, leading to his murder conviction.
The parole board determined on Friday that Pistorius, now 37, had fulfilled the minimum detention requirement, making him eligible for parole under South African law, with a set release date of January 5, 2024.
Oscar Pistorius
Once hailed as the “Blade Runner” due to his remarkable achievements as a double-amputee athlete using carbon-fiber prosthetics, Pistorius tragically shot Steenkamp four times through his home’s bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013. During a globally publicized trial, Pistorius claimed he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder, while prosecutors contended that it was a result of a late-night altercation.
Initially convicted of culpable homicide, akin to manslaughter, Pistorius’s conviction was upgraded to murder on appeal by prosecutors who considered his original sentence too lenient. Consequently, he received a 13-year and five-month sentence, leading to his ongoing imprisonment.
Pistorius had previously attempted parole in March but was denied due to an error in calculating his minimum detention period. A subsequent reevaluation led to the recent parole board hearing at the Atteridgeville Correctional Center near Pretoria.
The decision to grant parole considered Pistorius’s overall condition and the presence of a “positive support system,” as disclosed by South Africa’s Correctional Services Department. Notably, a victim’s impact statement from June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother, addressed concerns regarding Pistorius’s alleged past abusive behavior towards women, though it did not explicitly oppose his parole.
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Reportedly, Pistorius’s release will entail a five-year probation period, necessitating attendance in anger management courses and restrictions on leaving Pretoria without prior authorization from authorities, per the Department of Corrections.
The decision for Pistorius’s parole continues to raise debate and concern regarding his past behavior, rehabilitation, and the safety of women.
