it_english

Steve Biko was born on December, 18. 1946 and died on September, 12 1977. He was the leader of the Black Consciousness Movement (which insists on the notion of black pride), he was arrested and murdered. He was also a black activist from South Africa and one of the figures of the anti-apartheid struggle.

On September 12. 1972, Biko died in custody, officially following a hunger strike. The preaching at his funeral was provided by Desmond Tutu, future Nobel Peace Prize winner, so close to Black theology.

The conditions of detention and the brutal death of Biko were the subject of an international controversy that resulted in the condemnation of the South African regime. At the UN, the Security Council voted on a sudden basis resolutions 417 (31 October 1977) and 418 (4 November 1977), the latter imposing an embargo on arms sales to South Africa. After his death, Biko became the symbol of black resistance to the cruelty of power in place.

Asked by Liberal MP Helen Suzman about Biko's death, justice minister Jimmy Kruger's response resonated around the world: "Steve Biko's death leaves me cold". The police concerned received only a blame at first while the doctors involved were attacked by their colleagues, including a medical ethics survey conducted by Frances Ames, which ended in 1985, when the Supreme Court of South Africa ruled in favour of sanctions against surgeons. The police finally confessed the murder of Steve Biko to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the late 1990s.

On October 7, 2003, nearly ten years after the advent of a multi-racial regime in South Africa, the South African justice system decided not to prosecute the five police officers for lack of evidence and no witnesses.

https://youtu.be/z3WpnQkc82k

my opinion: "this event marked me because this man showed courage by going on a hunger strike after his arrest. Moreover, during his arrest, Biko was tortured, which touches me deeply."