Pretoria, November 24 (PL) - Former South African athlete and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius was granted parole from January 5, 2024.

Pistorius was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day 2013.

After two appeals to the state, Pistorius was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for murdering Steenkamp, under the principle of dolus eventualis (a legal term describing where the defendant foresees the harm to be caused by his actions as probable).

"Classified as a first time offender with a positive support system, Oscar Pistorius' conditional release is in line with Section 73 of the Correctional Services Act," the Ministry of Correctional Services held a statement to that effect.

Parole is part of the total rehabilitation process to correct criminal behavior and may include the continuation of programs aimed at reintegration into society, it added.

Pistorius will serve the remainder of his sentence in the community corrections system and will be subject to supervision in compliance with the conditions of parole until his sentence expires, the ministry said.