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Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been released on parole from a South African jail, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius, now 37, was convicted of murder in 2015 after an appeal court overturned an earlier verdict of culpable homicide. Under South African law, all offenders are entitled to be considered for parole once they have served half their total sentence, which for Pistorius was finally set in 2017 at 13 years and five months.
He will live under strict conditions, including being unable to speak to the media, until his sentence expires in 2029. Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, said she accepted the decision to release the former athlete but added her family was the one "serving a life sentence."
Pistorius first went to prison in October 2014, shortly after his initial conviction. There was a period between 2015 and 2016 when he was released under house arrest before his conviction was changed and sentenced lengthened. He had a successful career on the track, winning multiple golds and cementing his reputation after competing against non-disabled athletes at the London Olympics in 2012. The murder of Steenkamp just six months later, and the subsequent trials, dominated headlines around the world.
South Africa's department of correctional services said that despite his high public profile, the former star will be treated like anyone else on parole. This means that he will be confined to his home for certain hours of the day and is banned from drinking alcohol. He is also not permitted to speak to the media.
Ms Steenkamp, who was 29 when she died, was a law graduate and successful model who also worked as a TV presenter and appeared in a reality show called Tropika Island of Treasure. She had planned to start a law firm to help abused women after graduating.
The trials of Oscar Pistorius include competing in the London Olympics and Paralympics, winning a gold medal in 2012, shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, and being convicted of murder in 2014.
