Pistorius is released on parole in South Africa eleven years after the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp

MADRID, 5 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Former South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, convicted of shooting dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, ​​in February 2013, was released from prison this Friday after being granted conditional release after nearly eight years in prison, according to reports. confirmed by South African authorities.

The spokesperson for the South African Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Singabakho Nxumalo, has confirmed that Pistorius "is on parole, effective January 5." "He has been admitted to the community corrections system and is now home," he said.

Pistorius, who was sentenced to thirteen years and five months in prison after two appeal processes in the South African courts, has been placed under the responsibility of his uncle Arnold Pistorius for the duration of his conditional release period, as reported by the South African newspaper ' News 24'.

Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, ​​said in a statement published this Friday that both she and her late husband, Barry Steenkamp, ​​"always knew that probation is part of the South African legal system." "We have always said that the law must take its course," she added.

"The conditional release of Pistorius, subject to certain conditions, affirms our belief in the South African justice system," he said, before acknowledging that "there can never be justice if a loved one is never going to return" and that "no period served in prison will bring Reeva back," as reported by the South African newspaper 'The Times'.

The victim's mother has highlighted that on the day of her daughter's murder "life changed forever." "On that day, South Africa lost its hero, Oscar Pistorius, and Barry and I lost our beloved daughter, Reeva, at the hands of Oscar. Now, almost eleven years later, the pain is still strong and real and my dear husband passed away and "I could never come to terms with Reeva's death or the way she died," he stressed.

In this sense, she has stressed that although she is "grateful" to the media for their coverage of the case, the "intensity" of it has been "a double-edged sword." "Media interest meant we lost our privacy and made it difficult to grieve peacefully," she said.

"Sadly, the reporting was often accompanied by verbal and emotional abuse from some people. Not only towards us, but also towards our deceased daughter. It is my sincere hope, as was Barry's, that people would consider for a moment the impact of her harmful comments. We did not choose this. We would have preferred our beloved daughter to be alive, laughing, with us," he stressed.

"We, those who are still here, are the ones who are serving life sentences," he said. "With the release on bail of Oscar Pistorius, my only wish is to be able to live my last years in peace and focused on the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation to continue Reeva's legacy," he concluded.

Pistorius killed Steenkamp after shooting multiple times through the bathroom door of her home on Valentine's Day 2013. The former athlete claimed that he mistook her for an intruder, but the court ended up rejecting his version of events and ruled that Pistorius acted with full knowledge when he opened fire on his partner.