A total of 329 prisoners, who have been sentenced to 20 years or more than 20 years in various cases including murder, are set to be released from different jails across the country.
A gadget notification was sent to the inspector general of prisons from the Home Ministry in this regard on Wednesday with the approval of the prime minister.
Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Brigadier general A K M Mostafa Kamal Pasha confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune on Thursday.
He said the Home Ministry had ordered the release of 329 prisoners who had been sentenced to 20 years or more than 20 years in various cases.
According to the jail code under section 569, there is a provision to release prisoners after serving 20 years of imprisonment, he added.
Mostafa Kamal Pasha said: “The list has already been sent to different jails. The process of releasing the prisoners has begun.”
Azam Reza, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of schoolteacher and architect Jayanti Reza, is also on the release list, the media reports.
Law and Home Ministry officials said that the opportunity was given only to those who were ill or had a record of good behaviour. Each of them were sentenced to life imprisonment. Top terrorists or notorious robbers were not considered to be released.
Earlier in May, 2,884 prisoners were released across the country as a measure to avoid the risk of coronavirus transmission in the prisons.
