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Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius was released from prison on Friday, the South African Ministry of Justice said. He had been jailed for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after he shot her in his home on Valentine's Day 2013. His televised trial made headlines around the world.
Pistorius has served about nine years of his 13-year, five-month murder sentence, and his release followed a successful parole application in November. In South Africa, serious offenders are eligible for parole if they have served at least half of their sentence.
“He was entered into the Community Corrections system and is now at home,” the South African Department of Correctional Services said said in a brief update on Friday, without providing further details.
Pistorius, 37, was nicknamed the “Blade Runner” for his speed on carbon fiber prosthetic legs after he was a double amputee as a child. He won six Paralympic gold medalist, was the first amputee runner to compete at the 2012 London Olympics and was hailed as a sporting champion.
Steenkamp was a model and a paralegal. The couple were together for several months before Pistorius fatally shot her through a locked bathroom door in his Pretoria apartment. He claimed in court that he mistook his then 29-year-old girlfriend for a burglar.
Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, said in a statement on Friday that the decision reaffirmed her belief in South Africa's justice system. “The conditions imposed by the Parole Board, which include anger management courses and gender-based violence programs, send a clear message that gender-based violence is taken seriously.”
However, she added: “Almost 11 years later, the pain is still raw and real.”
“Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one never comes back… We who remain are the ones serving a life sentence.”
Olympian Oscar Pistorius is released from prison on parole
A South African judge originally convicted Pistorius of involuntary manslaughter, the equivalent of manslaughter, in 2014 after finding that prosecutors had failed to prove that Pistorius was committing murder when he shot Steenkamp. Pistorius steadfastly claimed he believed he was shooting an intruder in his home.
In December 2015, prosecutors managed to overturn Pistorius's original conviction and South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal found him guilty of the more serious murder charge.
According to the Department of Correctional Services, general parole conditions apply to Pistorius. There are restrictions on when he can leave the house and he is banned from doing media interviews or consuming alcohol. Violating his probation could result in Pistorius returning to prison.