A retired executioner has given an insight into what it’s like to earn money as an executioner.
He revealed the 2 most common requests he got from inmates whilst working in the role.
Scroll down for the full story.
Now, although abolished in many countries, the death penalty is still retained in some parts of the world.
These countries include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and of course, the United States of America.
The death penalty has been a part of the U.S. justice system for centuries…
And the penalty, which is often referred to as capital punishment, has been in action since approximately 1608… Yep, it’s really that old.
But it’s not currently legal in every state.
And as the years have gone on, it’s become more and more of a controversial and taboo subject.
Many U.S. states have now abolished the death penalty for a number of reasons…
Including the risk factors of executing an innocent person, the fact it doesn’t prevent future crimes, and the fact that it is both discriminatory and can be used politically, as per Amnesty.
Organizations such as Amnesty have been fighting for decades to have the death penalty abolished entirely and they have been trying to expose and hold to account governments that continue to use the punishment.
Many find the death penalty totally barbaric.
When questioned, it’s difficult to justify the state killing its citizens.
Campaigners argued that many of those executed over the last few years were killed despite suffering from serious mental and physical illnesses…
Which should have rendered the death penalty an unconstitutional punishment.
And some states have made huge progress in this field.
History was made by Virginia being the first-ever southern state to abolish the death penalty. Other states which have abolished capital punishment include Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Washington.
Virginia is now the twenty-third state to abolish the death penalty.
And many are hoping for other Southern states to follow suit.
And now, a retired executioner in Egypt has given an insight into what it’s like to work in the role.
For the executioner, known as an ‘Ashmawy’ in Egypt, killing people was a day-to-day part of his job.
Speaking to Vice, he admitted whilst he was working; there “are no emotions involved.”
The retired executioner said he got into the line of work after he witnessed an execution take place during his time in the army.
After the event, he knew he wanted to give the job a go as he felt like it would gain him respect because it’s such a unique job.
He explained that throughout his career, killing people became “a very normal thing.”
Whilst talking about his controversial job…
He gave an insight into the 2 most common requests inmates ask to have their life extended for a short period of time.
The first and most apparent request they ask for “is to continue living.”
He explained that he’s always been asked for more time: “If even for a minute, because life is precious. You only learn about life when you have to go.
“Especially in prison, as nobody on death row knows when they are going to die. Only the executioner knows, and they are only told two hours beforehand.”
The second request they often ask to get themselves more time is asking for water.
“To buy themselves one or two minutes, they often ask for water. After we get them water, they ask for a cigarette.
“We give them a cigarette. Then they take one puff. It’s a soul. A soul. Only a person who is dying can understand it.
“The soul is the most precious thing,” he said.
He admitted that while there were a few faces stuck in his head, he didn’t get phased that often as he believes he was doing his job.
However, there was this 1 execution he recalled that made him cry, which saw a man caught up among powerful people and falsely accused of a crime he did not commit.
But the executioner was quick to explain that he “was crying because of the injustice, not for him.”
You can watch the interview here.