"Those who enter our prisons as blunt knives, come out as razors..." Human life was very cheap in those days: An execution and two kilos of baklava...
The general was saying in essence: "Keeping these people in prisons will not benefit anyone.
Only idealists can manage the most effective fight against this treacherous, traitorous PKK.
Let's open the doors of the prisons and send them against the PKK..." Their crime(!) was not to spy and to be seen as a potential danger in opposing the government.
It was really difficult to understand or explain the logic of the military administration and the soldiers.