Feb 02, Colombo: Sri Lanka which is considering to implement the death penalty, has recruited two executioners, Ministry of Prison Reforms and Rehabilitation said.
The two executioners, elected from 145 short-listed candidates, are presently undergoing a 14-day special training.
After the training, they will be deployed in Welikada and Bogambara prisons where the death row prisoners are being held.
The persons selected for the job are residents of Negombo and Gampaha.
In Sri Lanka where capital punishment is delivered, over 225 prisoners remain in the death row until the President orders their execution. However, the last execution took place in the island in 1976.
Source: Colombo Page, Feb. 2, 2013
Sri Lanka: Death penalty not imminent
The 'training program' currently being conducted for the 2 newly recruited hangmen does not indicate the imminent reintroduction of the death penalty, according to officials.
Speaking to The Nation, Commissioner General of Prisons, P.W. Kodippili said the 'training program' that the 2 were undergoing was mainly designed to educate them on the rules and regulations related to the prisons department and its structure. He emphasized it was not a 14-day crash course at 'hanging people'.
The 1st 14-day training program for the 2 recruits, commenced at the Center for Research and Training in Corrections at the Welikada Prison on Friday (1).
Media Secretary to the Minister of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms, Iroshan Preethikumara, however, acknowledged that the training program for the 2 hangmen did include 'special elements' that were unique to the nature of their work.
"These 2 are ordinary people. You cannot expect an ordinary person to simply step up and take the life of another human being. Therefore, the program includes elements such as psychological training for them," he explained.
Preethikumara added the 2 were also being taught the mechanics of operating the gallows as part of the program.
He pointed out that it was the duty of the Prisons Department to be ready if the government did decide to reintroduce the death penalty. "If the prisons population was to suddenly increase by 1,000, we are duty bound to accommodate those inmates. Likewise, if the government decided to reintroduce the death penalty, we need to implement it. That is why this process is now in motion", he said. However, he too stressed this did not mean reintroducing the death penalty was imminent.
Last year, the Prisons Department called for applications for the posts of hangmen at the Welikada and Bogambara prisons. The 2 recruits currently undergoing training were chosen from around 175 applicants.
Source: The Nation, Feb. 4, 2013
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