South Africa has granted parole to Eugene de Kock, the convicted death-squad leader widely known as Prime Evil because of his abuses of black activists during the apartheid era, after he served two decades in prison, the Justice Ministry said on Friday.
Mr. de Kock, 66, was arrested in 1994 on charges including murder and kidnapping related to his time as commander of a notorious police unit based at the Vlakplaas farm near Pretoria, the capital. His crimes became emblematic of some of the worst abuses in the apartheid era, including the torture of black activists.
–
Mr. Masutha said the date of Mr. de Kock’s release would not be revealed to the public, according to news reports.
