Oscar Pistorius released from jail

South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison one year after he was jailed for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The 28-year-old is expected to serve out the remained of his five-year sentence under house arrest in the mansion of his uncle Arnold.

Pistorius was released Monday evening, one day earlier than previously expected.

The disabled athlete must continue psychotherapy sessions and do community service as part of parole conditions that also include restrictions on gun control.

The family of Reeva Steenkamp, the model girlfriend shot through a locked bathroom door, say that Pistorious is "getting off lightly".

A parole board at the prison where Pistorius served nearly a year of his five-year sentence for manslaughter made the decision to release him just last week.

It came after an initial ruling to release the athlete in August was cancelled at the last minute after intervention by the justice minister.

This time, the board "approved the placement of offender Oscar Pistorius under correctional supervision as from 20 October 2015," the corrections department said in a statement following the meeting of the parole board last Thursday.

Pistorius was acquitted of murder last year for the shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp, but prosecutors have appealed that trial verdict and will seek a murder conviction again at South Africa's Supreme Court on November 3.

If Pistorius is convicted of murder by a panel of five judges at the appeal, he faces going back to prison for 15 years, the minimum sentence for murder in South Africa, which no longer has the death penalty.

The spokeswoman for Pistorius' family, Anneliese Burgess, said last week in a text message that they had been informed of the decision to release Pistorius but would not be commenting further.

Steenkamp's parents are trying to "move on with their lives," their lawyer told the AP.

"Whether Oscar Pistorius remains incarcerated or is released, it's not going to change anything in their lives," lawyer Tania Koen said. "It makes no difference to them."

But, "they still believe that 10 months or 12 months (in jail) is not enough for taking a life," Koen said.

Pistorius was sentenced to five years after being convicted of culpable homicide, a charge comparable to manslaughter, for shooting Steenkamp, a model and reality TV star. Under South African law, an offender sentenced to five years or less in jail can be released after serving one-sixth — in Pistorius' case 10 months.

He has maintained he thought Steenkamp was an intruder in his Pretoria home and killed her by mistake. Prosecutors said he shot her intentionally during an argument after she had fled to a bathroom stall.

Pistorius, known as "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fiber running blades, gained worldwide fame when he ran against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, the first amputee runner to compete at the games.

In June, the same parole board had cleared Pistorius to be released from Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria on Aug. 21 only for that decision to be suspended by the minister of justice, who ordered a review.