Pistorius’s release from jail suspended

JOHANNESBERG— South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha suspended Oscar Pistorius’s planned release from prison this week, ordering a parole review board to decide whether to allow the athlete to serve the rest of his five-year sentence under house arrest.

Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete at an Olympic Games, was due to be paroled on Aug. 21after spending 10 months in jail for the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day two years ago. A women’s activist group had petitioned the minister to request a review of the decision.

In their petition, the Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa said the decision of the parole board was “outrageous” and “an insult” to victims of abuse. The group especially criticized Pistorius’s release during August, which is women’s month in South Africa, when issues such as domestic violence against women are highlighted.

He was approved by a parole board to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. The board approved Pistorius because of his good behaviour in prison, the Department of Corrections said when announcing its decision two months ago. But that decision was made prematurely when the parole board met on June 5, because he had not served a sixth of his sentence as required by law, the justice ministry said.

Pistorius, 28, was eligible for release under South African law, which allows offenders given a prison sentence of five years or less to move to correctional supervision after they have served one-sixth of their sentence.

Pistorious faces a Supreme Court appeal in November, when prosecutors will ask a panel of judges to overturn the initial trial verdict and convict him of murder.