Oscar Pistorius, convicted of murdering his girlfriend, released on parole

The South African Department of Correctional Services has announced the conditional release of a South African athletic amputee. Oscar Pistorius who was serving time for the murder of a young girl, reports the Associated Press.

In South Africa, prisoners are eligible for parole after serving half their sentence. The athlete’s intention to apply for parole became known in 2022. In March 2023, Pistorius’ requests for parole were rejected; At the end of November 2023, the athlete’s request for parole was granted. According to media reports, the decision to schedule a second parole hearing was made after his lawyer took the case to the Constitutional Court over errors made by the court.

According to media reports, there is currently no detailed information on the release of 37-year-old Pistorius. We know that the announcement of Pistorius’ release was made in the morning around 8:30 a.m. local time. Now the athlete is at home. He will be under surveillance until December 2029.

Pistorius killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at their home on the night of February 14, 2013. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison in October 2014.

In early December 2015, the Supreme Court of South Africa upheld the protest of the prosecutor’s office and found the athlete guilty of premeditated murder. In July 2016, Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison. After an appeal of the South African prosecutor’s verdict, which considered the sentence too lenient, the sentence was increased in November 2017 to 13 years and 5 months. The athlete spent almost nine years in prison.

Pistorius is a six-time Paralympic champion and a silver medalist at the 2011 World Championships for able-bodied athletes in the 4x400m relay.

Associated Press