March 2024

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Oscar Pistorius, a South African Paralympic champion, was charged with culpable homicide for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Pistorius shot his girlfriend through a locked bathroom door; he has repeatedly insisted that he mistook her for an intruder. He was sentenced to five years of incarceration. He was released from prison on October 19th, after serving one year, and was transferred to house arrest. But now, the Paralympian could potentially return to prison.

Prosecutors are asking that his charge is changed to murder

In his first trial, the judge accepted Pistorius’ defense – that he thought Steenkamp was an intruder – and he was convicted of the lesser crime culpable homicide. Prosecutors believe that the judge made the wrong decision and are asking for an appeal. In South African law, a murder charge is applicable if the accused was aware that his actions could result in death. Pistorius fired four shots in the bathroom; therefore, the prosecutors argue that he should have known that whoever was inside would likely be killed. Whether or not he knew it was his girlfriend is irrelevant. The prosecution is also asking the judges to extend his sentence from five years to a minimum of 15 years.

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Pistorius maintains his defense

Pistorius and his family did not attend the hearing at South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. He was represented by his attorney Barry Roux. Roux maintains that his client’s actions were lawful. He argued that the reason why Pistorius fired so many bullets in quick succession is because he suffered from an anxiety disorder and was feeling vulnerable since he was not wearing his prosthetic legs at the time. “The law is not designed to punish you for a wrong state of mind,” he said.

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The judges have heard the arguments

The panel consists of five of the most senior judges in the nation and they all have diverse backgrounds. They did not hear any new evidence in the appeal. They focused on whether or not the judge in Pistorius’ trial made the right decision and followed the law properly. This made the case very technical. There is no set date for the judgement and reports say that it could be weeks before the verdict is revealed. Steenkamp’s mother, June, was present at the trial. She has expressed before that she believes Pistorius got off lightly for killing her daughter and that she was angered by his early release from prison. Women activists of the governing African National Congress came to show solidarity with June. The proceedings were also televised live. The case has raised issues of class, race, and gender in the country.

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