A parole board review panel which will decide whether to free Oscar Pistorius from prison has started meeting.
South Africa’s justice minister blocked the Olympic athlete’s early release in August in a surprise move.
It is not clear when the panel will rule whether the initial decision to free him early was correct, a BBC reporter in Johannesburg says.
Pistorius has served 11 months of his five-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The review board, which is meeting in the eastern port city of Durban, comprises a panel of legal experts chaired by a judge.
Journalists from local media have gathered outside the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, where Pistorius is being held, in anticipation of a potential decision on Friday.
Although that is a possibility, it could equally take months for a decision to be made, the BBC’s Milton Nkosi reports from Johannesburg.
Under South African law, Oscar Pistorius is eligible for release under house arrest, having served a sixth of his sentence.
A court convicted him of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, over the killing of his girlfriend in 2013.
The double-amputee shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his home in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, believing she was an intruder, he told his trial.
The prosecution has appealed against the ruling, saying he should instead be convicted of murder.
This appeal is due to be heard in November.
Oscar Pistorius:
- Born without a fibula in either leg, his lower limbs were amputated aged 11 months
- At the age of two, he was given his first pair of prosthetic legs and had mastered them within days
- In June 2003, he shattered his knee playing rugby and, on the advice of doctors, took up track running to aid his rehabilitation
- Won one gold medal at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, and three gold medals at the 2008 games in Beijing
- Became the first double leg amputee to participate in the Olympics when he entered the men’s 400m and 4×400 m relay races in the 2012 London games
- At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, won gold medals in the men’s 400-metre race and in the 4×100m relay, setting world records in both events
- Fatally shot his girlfriend, Reeve Steenkamp at his Pretoria home on 14 February 2013. He claimed he had mistaken her for an intruder
- Sentenced to five years in prison for culpable homicide in 2014
Credit and Read More at BBC
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