Eleven years after the murder of his wife, Oscar Pistorius was officially released this Friday, January 5.
Conditional release for Oscar Pistorius. The former athletics legend, Paralympic champion and first disabled athlete to participate in the Olympic Games with the able-bodied, was released this Friday, January 5, 11 years after the murder of his wife Reeva Steenkamp. As a reminder, the athlete was sentenced at the end of an endless legal series, to 13 years and five months in prison for the murder of the latter after a reclassification of his trial. On the night of February 13 to 14, 2013, he shot four times through the closed door of his bedroom bathroom, but always pleaded not guilty, saying he believed there was an intruder.
Why release so soon?
He was admitted to the community corrections system and is now home.”, declared the prison administration in a press release, confirming that his release on parole is now effective. The 37-year-old former athlete benefits from this freedom because my South African law provides that a person convicted of murder is eligible for a reduced sentence once half of his sentence has expired. But having been convicted at first instance, then several times on appeal, it had been calculated that, according to a count starting from the date of his last conviction, he had not served the minimum time. But the Constitutional Court ruled last month that the counting should begin on the date of his first detention.
“A life sentence for the family”
If the Steenkamp family did not show their refusal to see Oscar Pistorius free, the victim’s mother, June Steenkamp, declared that Reeva Steenkamp’s relatives were, “sentenced for life”. Asking if “justice has been done to Reeva” and if “Oscar has served a sufficient sentence”she explained that“There is never justice because your loved one will never come back.”. June Steenkamp has said several times over the last few years that she still can’t believe “to Oscar’s version of events” remaining convinced that the latter “did not rehabilitate” in prison. To try to complete this rehabilitation, the spokesperson for the Steenkamp family asked Oscar Pistorius and the justice system a few weeks ago to “follow therapy for his anger, carry out community service and follow therapy on violence against women “