The release of Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius, the former South African Paralympic and Olympic athlete, was released from prison on Friday. Journalists Tim Rohan and Margie Orford report
On Friday, the former Paralympic and Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was released from prison in Pretoria, South Africa. He served nine years for killing Reeva Steenkamp by shooting her through his bathroom door. Pistorius maintains his claim that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.
“We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence,” Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp said on Pistorius’ release.
Tim Rohan, journalist and presenter of False Idol, a podcast which examined the case, tells Nosheen Iqbal about Reeva’s life, what we know about their relationship, and the account Oscar Pistorius gave at the trial.
A decade on from the murder of Reeva, we look at the impact the case had in South Africa. Margie Orford, writer and the patron of Rape Crisis and the president of PEN South Africa, explains what it revealed about racist tropes and gender based violence in the country.
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