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PAGE 6
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Parts of Pistorius trial can be viewed on live TV
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this 2013 file photo, Oscar Pistorius, the athlete who became a murder suspect, said Friday that he is consumed by grief on the first anniversary of the day he fatally shot his girlfriend.
JOHANNESBURG — Parts of Oscar Pistorius' murder trial can be broadcast live on television by three remote-controlled cameras in court, but testimony given by the double-amputee Olympian can't be shown, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Pistorius' lawyers failed in their bid to stop any part of the trial being broadcast as a judge sitting in the North Gauteng High Court, where the trial will open next week, ruled mostly in favor of the South African TV and radio applicants.
a live audio-only feed can broadcast the entire trial.
broadcast the entire trial. Judge Dunstan Mlambo's decision opens up much of Pistorius' blockbuster trial to the expected scrutiny of millions of fascinated followers around the world.
"Court proceedings are in fact public and this objective must be recognized," Mlambo said.
The decision came two days after a Twitter site to be used by members of Pistorius' family during the trial became active. It already has more than 20,000 followers.
Mambo, who won't preside over the trial, granted permission to the South African media houses to install unmanned television cameras in unobtrusive locations in the courtroom before the trial starts Monday. Still photographs can be taken by two mounted cameras operated by photographers, but TV footage or photographs cannot show "extreme" close up
images of anyone and some witnesses who object can stop their testimony from being broadcast.
Trial judge Thokozile Masipa can stop the recordings at any time. Mlamo said.
Pistorius lawyers argued that broadcasting the trial in any way would harm his chances of a fair trial. Brian Webber, a lawyer for Pistorius, declined to comment on the ruling, saying he had yet to study it.
Pistorius was charged with
murder for the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp a year ago, unleashing a wave of intense interest in the already world-famous disabled athlete. He faces 25 years in prison if he is convicted on the main charge of premeditated murder, which he denies.
Mlambo called Pistorius "a local and international icon" and said the broadcast decision was a "balancing act" between guaranteeing him a
fair trial and also respecting the freedom of the media. South African democracy is relatively young and the justice system is "still perceived as treating the rich and famous with kid gloves whilst being harsh on the poor and vulnerable," Mlambo said.
"Enabling a larger South African society to follow firsthand the criminal proceedings which involve a celebrity so to speak will go a long way into dispelling these negative and
unfounded perceptions about the justice system,"he said
The broadcasts also can be made available to international stations through a sharing agreement.
Opening and closing arguments can be shown along with the presiding judge's decision and sentencing should Pistorius be convicted, Mlambo ruled. Expert state witnesses' and police officers' testimonies can be broadcast on television and
photographed, but not those of Pistorius or his defense witnesses.
The court could consider showing some testimonies from behind the witness stand, obscuring faces or using a general wide shot of the court. No parts of confidential discussions between Pistorius and his lawyers can be broadcast in any way, nor can discussions at the bench among the prosecution, defense and judge, Mlambo said.
NCAA
No.4 Syracuse defeats Maryland 57-55 to end skid
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Not a chance.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Up by 12 points with just under 6 minutes left, No. 4 Syracuse appeared poised to secure an unusually easy victory.
After letting the seemingly comfortable lead dwindle to a single point in the closing seconds, Syracuse squeezed past Maryland 57-55 on Monday to end a two-game losing streak.
It was another close call for the Orange (26-2, 13-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), whose previous four games were decided by a total of 12 points.
Syracuse led 51-39 with 5:45 left but allowed Maryland to close to 56-55 with 47 seconds remaining. After C.J. Fair missed a jumper for the Orange, Baye Moussa Keita blocked a driving layup by Nick Faust to keep Syracuse in front.
"We're in a lot of these games," coach Jim Boeheim said. "For the most part we've made good plays at the end of them, and that's why we are where we are. We're not overpowering too many people, I can promise you that."
Trevor Cooney was fouled and made one of two free throws with 4 seconds to go before Maryland's Seth Allen's off-balance shot bounded off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded.
"I thought Nick got fouled and the replay showed that," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "It's been that type of year for us."
Tyler Ennis scored 20 points and Fair had 17 to help Boeheim secure his 946th career victory. Like many of the previous ones during Syracuse's first season in the ACC, this was not easy.
"How many we played in the league now? We've had one
that wasn't close," Boeheim said. "This was the game we were most ahead of in all except two. This has been how we've played since the league started. We were actually ahead, which we probably weren't used to."
After opening the season with 25 straight wins, Syracuse dropped successive games to Boston College and Duke to lose its stature as the nation's top-ranked team. Saturday's game at Duke was decided by a pivotal call in the final seconds that caused Boehnei to storm the court, receive two technical fouls and an automatic ejection.
In this one, Boeheim was relatively calm on the sideline as the Orange forced 18 turnovers and limited Maryland (15-13, 7-8) to 35 percent shooting.
"They shot 27 free throws. If anybody's going to complain about the officiating, I'm going to complain," Boeheim said. "If they didn't turn it over 18 times, they wouldn't have to worry about that."
Syracuse finished the game without forward Jerami Grant, who hurt his back after making two baskets in 13 minutes.
The coach took exception to Turgeon's claim that Faust was fouled on his drive to the hoop.
"This is definitely a big win. It might've been the biggest win of the season so far," Fair said. "That game to break your losing streak is always like the hardest. Because you're so anxious and you want that game so bad that sometimes it can go bad for you."
"It was a really big win for us," Ennis said. "We played without Jerami for the second half, which kind of hurt us, but I thought everybody that came in really stepped up." Including Fair, who went 8
Including Fair, who went 8 for 17 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds.
Allen scored 22 points for the Terps. He was 6 for 9 from beyond the arc, but his teammates combined to go 2 for 13.
It was the first sellout of the season at Maryland, which does not have traditional rivals Duke or North Carolina on the home schedule during its final season in the ACC
I think late we got stops," Allen said, "and you know the crowd got us into it, it kept us going."
The crowd of 17,950 lost much of its enthusiasm during a stretch in which the Terra-pins went scoreless for nearly 5 minutes in the second half while Syracuse upped its lead to double figures.
Ennis, a 6-foot-2 freshman,
made a 3-pointer and two baskets in an 8-2 spree that put Syracuse up 42-30. After the Terps closed to 44-37, Michael Gbiniep popped a 3, Faust botched a dunk on the other end and Ennis hit a jumper for a 49-37 lead.
It barely held up.
Syracuse shot 50 percent and Ennis drilled a 3-pointer just before the buzer for a 32-24 halftime advantage.
After a steal by Dez Wells set up a dunk by Charles Mitchell to put Maryland ahead 5-3, the Orange got four points apiece from Fair and Grant in a 15-3 run that made it 18-8. At that point, Syracuse was 8 for 12 from the field and the Terrapins were 3 for 13.
A 3-pointer by Allen capped a 9-2 spurt that got Maryland to 20-17 before the Orange rattled off three straight baskets. The Terrapins were still in it, though, despite missing 12 of 17 shots and committing nine turnovers.
With 4:55 left, Fair picked up his third foul and hit the bench for the remainder of the half after scoring 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Syracuse guard Tyler Ennis (11) shoots against Maryland guard Seth Allen, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Monday, in College Park, Md. Syracuse won 57-55. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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