The Guardian sheds some light on the apparent role of "civilian contractors" in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by soldiers at a prison outside of Baghdad. "A military report into the Abu Ghraib case - parts of which were made available to the Guardian - makes it clear that private contractors were supervising interrogations in the prison, which was notorious for torture and executions under Saddam Hussein. One civilian contractor was accused of raping a young male prisoner but has not been charged because military law has no jurisdiction over him." Who, exactly, thought it was a good idea to hire private mercenaries who have no obligation to follow military rules and procedures, and give them authority over a military prison?