Sri Lanka advertises post of "hangmen" after resuming death penalty

Sirisena decided to lift the 43-year-old suspension on capital punishment in the country and execute the drug traffickers amid an alarm over spike in drug-related crime in the island nation.

Sri Lanka is recruiting 2 hangmen after lifting off 43-year-old suspension on death penalty/ Image: AFP

New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s Prison authorities have begun the recruitment process for the post of “hangman”, days after President Maithripala Sirisena called for the implementation of the death penalty. The Prisons Department of the country is recruiting two hangmen and has given out an advertisement for the same. Sirisena decided to lift the 43-year-old suspension on capital punishment in the country and execute the drug traffickers amid an alarm over spike in drug-related crime in the island nation. In the advertisement, it has been mentioned that interviews will be conducted for the post the next month and two hangmen will be hired following the same. The post of the executioner requires candidates to have an “excellent moral character” and should pass a test conducted to check the “mind and mental strength". They must belong to Sri Lankan nationality and should be aged between 18 and 45. Their monthly salary would be Sri Lankan rupees 36,410 (USD 203), the advertisement circulated in the Sri Lankan media, said. The move comes after President Sirisena announced a strict crackdown on drug offenders in the country. The advert released by the Department said that the applicant should not have been convicted by any court over a character based offence. Recruitments would be made following a structured interview and depending on the number of vacancies made available for the said position.