CNN
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Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was denied parole on Friday, according to local authorities, who said he has not yet served his minimum sentence.
Under South African law, prisoners can be paroled after serving half of their sentence if they meet conditions such as: B. Good behavior in prison.
The former Olympic sprinter shot his partner Reeva Steenkamp four times through the bathroom door of his home in 2013, denying he killed her in a fit of anger and instead saying he mistook her for an intruder. He was originally sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison.
A spokesman for South Africa’s correctional services, Singabakho Nxumalo, told CNN that Pistorius’ request for parole was denied because he was not yet eligible – an issue settled by the country’s top appeals court earlier this week.
“The Parole Board has granted Mr. Pistorius another profile for August 2024 and the reason for this is that Mr. Pistorius has yet to serve a minimum term of imprisonment under the Clarification Order of the Supreme Court of Appeals, which was only provided to the department on March 28, 2023,” said Nxumalo.
Pistorius must now continue serving his sentence pending a new parole hearing in August 2024.
The parole board’s decision was quickly welcomed by Steenkamp’s parents, who, according to their attorney, had opposed parole.
“While we welcome today’s decision, today is not a reason to celebrate. We miss Reeva terribly and will do so for the rest of our lives. We believe in justice and hope it continues to prevail,” her attorney, Tania Koen, told CNN.
In 2018, the father of the athlete Henke Pistorius told the The British newspaper Times that he ran Bible classes and prayer groups for prisoners, including the prison’s most feared gang leader.
To be eligible for parole, Pistorius had to participate in South Africa’s “restorative justice” process, which allows offenders to “acknowledge their actions and take responsibility for them.”
The athlete, once hailed as an inspirational figure after competing at the 2012 Olympics, became the center of a process that was followed around the world.
At trial, Pistorius pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and one charge of firearms in connection with Steenkamp’s murder.
Prosecutors argued that her killing was premeditated and that the shooting happened after the couple had an argument.
He frequently broke down in court and his past behavior has come under scrutiny.
Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter in 2014. But a higher court reversed the conviction and changed it to murder a year later, increasing his sentence to six years in prison.
The sentence was appealed by prosecutors who claimed the sentence was too lenient. Pistorius’ theorem was increased to 13 years and five months by the South African Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017.
Source : www.cnn.com