South Africa: Pistorius wants to push forward with parole application

South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, sentenced to 13 years in prison for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, has asked the courts to consider his application for parole, his lawyer said Wednesday.

The former athlete, who is an amputee below the knees, served more than half his sentence in July, making him eligible for early release. The procedure in South Africa requires the convict to meet with the victim or her family, which he did by meeting Reeva Steenkamp's parents in early July.

Oscar Pistorius was convicted in 2015 of killing the model on Valentine's Day, shooting four times through the toilet door of his ultra-secure Pretoria home. He has always denied the murder, saying he was convinced a thief had broken into his home.

His lawyer, Julian Knight, told AFP that Pistorius, now 35, is seeking justice to force authorities to convene a hearing on his parole application.

"It is an application to compel the probation committee to agree to a hearing on his parole application," the lawyer said. "It doesn't mean that he should be paroled, but that his application should be considered," he added.

The papers were filed "a few months ago", and no hearing date has yet been set, he said, declining to give further details.

As part of his parole application, Oscar Pistorius was transferred in November 2021 from a prison in the capital Pretoria to a prison in the south of the country.

Nicknamed "Blade Runner", he became a world star in 2012 when he competed with able-bodied athletes in the 400 metres at the London Olympics.