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Steenkamps oppose Pistorius parole
A parole hearing began on Friday that could see Oscar Pistorius released from prison early, a decade after he shot and killed his girlfriend.
PRETORIA - A parole hearing began on Friday that could see Oscar Pistorius released from prison early, a decade after he shot and killed his girlfriend.
Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013, firing four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria house, in a killing that shocked the world.
Lawyers for Steenkamp's family arrived at the correctional facility on the outskirts of the capital, where the hearing was taking place, amid a heavy media presence.
Steenkamp's mother, June, is to appear before the board to "make representations" also on behalf of her husband, Barry, who is unable to travel because of ill health, lawyer Tania Koen said.
"They don't feel that he should be released. They feel that he has shown no remorse," she told reporters outside the prison.
Pistorius is being held at the same facility, where the parole board was scheduled to convene for a closed-door session.
Pistorius is also expected to address the hearing and respond to the Steenkamps' submissions, Koen said.
"As you can imagine it's painful. June has to face Oscar Pistorius again this morning. He is the killer of her daughter," she said.
Comprising at least three people, including prison services and community members, the board is to determine whether the purpose of imprisonment has been served, according to the Department of Correctional Services.
If denied, he has the right to approach the courts for review.