South African prosecutors have filed an appeal against the sentence and conviction of Oscar Pistorius, who last month was sentenced to five years for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend.
The National Prosecuting Authority said it filed the application for leave to appeal both the conviction and sentence.
"The appeal on conviction is based on the question of law," it said in a statement.
The athlete was convicted for shooting dead his girlfriend, 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day last year.
In her 12 September verdict, Judge Thokozile Masipa cleared Pistorius of murder, saying the state had failed to prove his intent to kill when he fired four rounds through the door of a toilet cubicle.
During sentencing on 21 October, she said the sentence had to be "fair and just to society and to the accused".
Pistorius said he fired in the mistaken belief an intruder was lurking behind the door at his luxury Pretoria home.
Prosecutors alleged that he had shot Ms Steenkamp on purpose after the couple had argued.
The athlete is currently serving his sentence at a hospital section of a Pretoria prison. The date for the appeal application has not been set.
NPA spokesman Nathi Mncube said the application for permission to appeal was expected to be heard by the same judge, Ms Masipa, at the High Court.
"After presenting our case, the judge will either grant or reject our application," said Mr Mncube.
"If it's granted, the case will then be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal."
Mr Mncube stressed that in case Judge Masipa did not grant the appeal, the state had an option to petition the Supreme Court to hear the case.
