Punished for thinking?

Ex-soldier jailed for refusing to return to Afghanistan

by Symon Hill 11th March 2010

Friends have criticised the decision of a military court to sentence a former soldier to nine months’ imprisonment for refusing to participate in military action in Afghanistan. Joe Glenton, 27, became convinced that the war in Afghanistan was wrong after fighting there for seven months.  He was convicted on 5 March of going ‘absent without leave’ from the British army. An earlier charge of ‘desertion’ – which carries up to ten years’ imprisonment – was dropped at the last moment, leading to speculation that the authorities wished to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial discussing the ethics of the war.