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Oscar Pistorius will not be released from prison on Friday

FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 5, 2014 file photo South Africa's Oscar Pistorius starts in the men's 400-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London. Pistorius Pistroius is to released into house arrest Friday after spending 10 months of a five-year sentence for the killing of his girlfriend Reeve Steenkamp in 2013. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)

Oscar Pistorius, the South African Olympian convicted of killing his girlfriend, had been slated for release from prison this Friday after serving 10 months of a five-year sentence. However, South Africa's justice minister has asked for a review of that decision.

Pistorius was convicted last year of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013. He had contended that her death was an accident, and that he had believed a burglar was in his house when he fired through a closed door. Pistorius was acquitted of the charge of murder, but nonetheless convicted of culpable homicide.

Pistorius is imprisoned at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria. His good behavior had earned him a scheduled early release, according to a deal worked out in June. However, justice minister Michael Masutha called the release into house arrest "premature." South African law allows the release of prisoners one-sixth of the way into their sentence under certain circumstances. In a statement, Masutha indicated that the decision to release Pistorius had been made before he had served a sixth of his sentence.

Steenkamp's family protested the release, as did a local women's group. Pistorius' decision is under appeal, and in November a judge will consider whether to reinstate murder charges against him.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

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