Oscar Pistorius' Parole Request Rejected: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

A parole board in South Africa determined on Oct. 5 Oscar Pistorius will remain in prison after delaying his chance for parole, per Agence France-Presse (via the Guardian).

As relayed by Barry Bateman of Eyewitness News on Friday, the board has also postponed its decision on whether Pistorius can be placed under correctional supervision:

The Pistorius family reacted to the delay of his parole with a statement, relayed by BBC News:

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This experience leaves us with the uncomfortable conclusion that the public, political and media hype that was allowed to develop around Oscar's trial has undermined his right to be treated like any other prisoner—as per the prescripts of the Correctional Services Act.

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The former Paralympian has been serving a five-year sentence since he was convicted of culpable homicide following the death of then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013. Pistorius admitted he shot Steenkamp but claimed he was acting in self-defense after he misidentified her as a trespasser in his home.

The 28-year-old was originally set to be released on house arrest in August until a justice minister in South Africa denied the motion.

"This process is becoming a little bit unfair because of political interference," said legal expert Martin Hood in the AFP report.

"It just makes our administrative systems in South Africa look very poor. If a person has good behaviour and has served one sixth of their sentence, then there's no reason not to grant them parole, it's a tick-the-box exercise. What they're doing is passing the buck."

According to Kashmira Gander of the Independent, Pistorius' next chance for parole will come on Nov. 3, but the prosecution will also look to have his conviction upgraded to murder rather than culpable homicide at that time.

If the South African Supreme Court agrees that Pistorius is guilty of murder, he could see his sentence extended to 15 years.