South African Track Star Oscar Pistorius is Out on Bail
Oscar Pistorius is pictured through a car window as he leaves court after he was granted bail February 22, 2013. Pistorius left a Pretoria magistrates court on Friday after the South African athletics star was granted bail of $113,000 on charges of murdering his girlfriend. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA – Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS SPORT ATHLETICS) – RTR3E4O5
Friday was another tense day in the Oscar Pistorius murder case.
All week, a judge in Pretoria has been listening to the defense and prosecution argue over whether or not the double-amputee track star should be granted bail.
Friday, Judge Desmond Nair finally delivered his verdict.
Ultimately, Nair said, the prosecution failed to establish Pistorius as a flight risk – or that he’s too violent to be out on bail.
He released Pistorius on bail, set at one million rand, or about $113,000.
Pistorius was also ordered to stay away from witnesses and from his house – where he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Rian Malan is a writer based in Johannesburg, best known for his memoir “My Traitor’s Heart,” which focuses on racial relations in South Africa.
He says public opinion about Pistorius has shifted over the past couple of days.