Punished for thinking?
Ex-soldier jailed for refusing to return to Afghanistan
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.
Glenton refused orders to re-deploy to Afghanistan in 2007. In 2009, he spoke at a major anti-war rally in London.
‘Joe’s experience in Afghanistan had led him to question the war, and to question whether he should obey orders to carry out actions he now considered wrong,’ explained Quaker peace activist Roy Prockter, who attended the hearing.
Glenton’s barrister said that he had been accused of cowardice when he expressed his concerns. Glenton also experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.
A spokesperson for the Stop the War Coalition said, ‘Joe Glenton is not the person who should be facing a jail sentence. It should be the politicians who have led us into disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.’
After witnessing the process, Roy Prockter told the Friend, ‘I am of the opinion that the court’s mission was to set an example by punishing Joe – and punishing him for having the temerity to start thinking for himself’.
