The government has decided to release 12 prisoners across the country on the occasion of Victory Day on December 16.
All of them were convicted for minor crimes and have served half of the jail terms in various cases, according to officials concerned.
Among them are two prisoners from Noakhali jail, three from Jessore, and one each from Bandarban, Meherpur, Manikganj, Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, Comilla and Barisal.
Prison sources said one person had already been released from the Bandarban jail.
Before Victory Day, the government takes the initiative to release some prisoners across the country every year. Many names were forwarded to the government from different districts this year as well. After checking the list, the government decided to release 12 people from different district jails.
On Thursday afternoon, the prison authorities released a person named Tingku Dey from the Bandarban District Jail. Hailing from Kelishahar of Patia Upazila of Chittagong, Tingku told Dhaka Tribune that he was very happy after being freed from prison.
“Now I will spend the rest of my life earning from a small shop,” said Tingku, who was sentenced to three years in jail in a case filed over the theft of a motorcycle in 2018.
He was kept in prison for 21 months and 17 days with concessions.
Jail Superintendent of Bandarban Jannat ul Farhad said that all the prisoners selected for amnesty were convicted of minor crimes and more than half have served their sentences.
“I applied for the release of three people from the Bandarban District Jail. After verifying everything, the government released one person.”
Deputy Commissioner of Bandarban Yasmin Parveen Tibriji states that, ahead of Independence Day and Victory Day, the government wants a list to release minor criminals who have served their sentences and whose behaviour is good.
“The government is releasing a total of 12 prisoners from all over the country, including one from Bandarban, on the occasion of Victory Day,” she said.
