'Prime Evil' apartheid assassin wins parole in S.Africa

Eugene de Kock, (L) an apartheid-era assassin nicknamed Prime Evil, appears at the Truth And Reconcilation Commission (TRC) amnesty hearing with his lawyer Schalk Hugo May 24. REUTERS/Files

PRETORIA (Reuters) - Apartheid death-squad leader Eugene de Kock, dubbed 'Prime Evil' for his role in the torture and murder of black South African activists in the 1980s and early 1990s, was granted parole on Friday after 20 years in prison. Justice minister Michael Masutha told a news conference that de Kock would be released "in the interests of nation-building" and because he had expressed remorse at his crimes and had helped authorities recover the remains of some of his victims. (Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by James Macharia)