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.
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.