Revolving Door

I suspected this kind of thing was happening; we`re rounding `em up and the Iraqi`s are letting `em go.


Iraq insurgents given lenient sentences



Baghdad, Iraq, Mar. 13 (UPI) -- Iraqi insurgents convicted of weapons and explosives offenses are sometimes sentenced to prison terms as short as six months under the current court system.

U.S.-led coalition forces have expressed concern that some judges left over from Saddam Hussein's era have been lenient to demonstrate independence from the coalition, the Independent reported Sunday.

The Independent said some Shiite judges have privately said their Sunni colleagues are giving out light sentences to Sunni defendants to show sympathy with the insurgents.

Coalition forces want to respect judges' independence, but a senior U.S. officer serving as a liaison with the court said he is concerned the criminal justice system does not pose a deterrent.

"There are times when the sentences are a source of frustration for the soldiers involved, but we have committed ourselves to respecting the independence of the court and the decisions it makes. But this is a frustration shared by other parts of the Iraqi government," said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a spokesman for U.S. military's detainee operations in Iraq.


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Now, I`m for offering an amnesty to low level ``insurgents`` to get them to give up arms, but I would like to ask these judges how they think they can have a stable society (and keep their jobs) with terrorists running roughshod over the land? Even if they hate the coalition, these loose cannons can turn on them as easily as the coalition. Finally, why are Saddam`s judges still in office?

We have got to run this like a War and not a police action.