Oscar Pistorius Gets His Passport Back
Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius have successfully lobbied to a judge to relax the sprinter's bail conditions so that he can travel abroad while awaiting his murder trial. At his original bail hearing back in February, Pistorius—who shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day—had been ordered to surrender his passport and check in at a local police station every week, essentially restricting his ability to travel anywhere outside his own home. However, on Thursday a judge lifted those travel restrictions and gave Pistorius his passport back so that he can once again travel internationally.
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Despite the seriousness of his crime and considerable wealth that could allow him to flee to almost anywhere, Pistorius can make a legitimate argument that he needs to be able to travel abroad. As a world-class sprinter, his "job" requires him to attend track and field events all over the world (and make public appearances for sponsors) so confining him to South Africa makes it almost impossible for him to earn money.
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Pistorius was released on $112,000 bail. His trial on first-degree murder charges is expected to start later this summer.
