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46 years ago today, legendary South African anti-apartheid activist and socialist Steve Biko died alone naked in his prison cell in Pretoria. Although the racist apartheid authorities denied any wrongdoing, claiming Biko had died on hunger strike, an autopsy revealed that Biko had suffered an "extensive brain injury" leading to "acute kidney failure."

His funeral on 25 September 1977 took five hours and was attended by around 20,000 people. 1994, following the end of apartheid, five police officers appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission requesting amnesty for their involvement in Biko's death. Although amnesty was refused in 1999, it was decided in 2003 that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them.

Born in the Eastern Caper in December 1946, Biko was raised in a township and, in 1966, secured a scholarship to study at the University of Natal Medical School. Initially, Biko became active in the moderate Union of South African Students (NUSAS) before founding the all-Black South African Students' Organization(SASO) before its first president. SASO was based on Black consciousness, encouraging Black people to recognize their dignity and self-worth. As the concept of Black consciousness spread across South African universities, Biko became of the Black People's Convention, an umbrella organization for Black consciousness groups in 1972.

In 1973, Biko and four other members of SASO were banned. This meant that their associations, movements, and public statements were restricted. Biko went underground, was arrested multiple times, and held without trial for months. On 18 August 1977, Biko and his friend Peter Jones were seized at a roadblock and jailed in Port Elizabeth. On 11 September, he was driven 1,190 km to a prison hospital in Pretoria, where he tragically died the following day, aged only 30.

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