Ottawa

Skipping as if towards freedom

As Canwest notes, Sgt. Carol Utton testified this week at a Military Police Complaints Commission that detainees were “delighted” to be handed off to the NDS.

Unnoted is the explanation, provided by Sgt. Utton a few questions later, as to why detainees might be so eager. The following is from a transcript of Sgt. Utton’s testimony provided to reporters last night.

Q. You mentioned some of the detainees were quite happy—quite happy might be overstating it.  I don’t suppose anybody would be quite happy to go off to prison, but they didn’t protest at being turned over—

A. Never.

Q. —to the NDS.  Do you know why?

A. I believe because they could be bought out of the Afghan jails.

Q. They saw it as a way of getting a quick release?

A. I believe that is a way of life in the Afghan system.  It is so corrupt that if you had enough money you could buy people out of jail.

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