23-6-2023 (DHAKA) A heated debate has been ignited by the early release of a convict in Bangladesh who hanged 26 fellow inmates while serving his sentence. Shahjahan Bhuiyan was originally sentenced to 42 years in prison for murder in 1991, but during his time behind bars, he executed 26 prisoners, thereby reducing his sentence by 4 years and 4 months. The 74-year-old man received a two-month reduction in his sentence for each execution he carried out. Combined with his good behavior and other factors, his term was shortened.
In 2001, Shahjahan became an executioner at Dhaka Central Jail, having informed prison officials that he knew how to handle the noose.
Bangladesh is one of the few countries in the world that still carries out executions by hanging, making Shahjahan Bhuiyan’s skills highly valued. Upon leaving Dhaka Central Jail, Bhuiyan told reporters, “I had a good time. I served a long time, but the authorities ensured I was comfortable and respected.”
Among the inmates executed by the man during his tenure as an executioner were Islamic leader Ali Ahsan Mujahid and military personnel convicted of orchestrating the 1975 coup and the assassination of the country’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Shahjahan stated, “If I didn’t hang them, someone else would have. Even though I felt sympathy for them, as a criminal, I had to do it. It’s not that I wanted to carry out the hangings; it was the state’s order.”
With no family and nowhere to call home, the man will be staying with a former inmate he befriended while in prison.
