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Sydney (AFP)
Australia announced on Thursday the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate information on possible war crimes committed by Australian special forces against civilians and prisoners in Afghanistan.
And after speaking about the accusations of “serious and possibly criminal fault”, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he had made this decision to settle this case in Australia in order to pre-empt any move to refer it to the International Criminal Court.
More than 26,000 Australian soldiers have been deployed as part of the US-led coalition since September 11, 2001. Australian fighting forces left Afghanistan in 2013.
Since then, the Australian media has reported very serious allegations against Australian forces, including the case of a prisoner who was apparently killed to evacuate a helicopter seat or the murder of a six-year-old boy in a raid on a house.
The government initially tried to close the accounts of the complainants, while the police attacked investigative journalists who had reported them.
For his part, the Australian Defense Forces Inspector General carried out a four-year investigation into “rumors and allegations” of “possible violations of the law of armed conflict”.
These investigations identified 55 separate incidents related to unlawful killings of “people who were not or are no longer combatants”, as well as “cases of brutal treatment.” Morrison said a revised version of the inspector general’s report would be announced in the next few days.
– ‘Afghan archives’ –
The appointment of a prosecutor is a new step in bringing these charges to justice. It could one day lead to prosecutions against members of the armed forces.
And the army is very popular in Australia. Their participation in battles abroad from Gallipoli to Cocoda helped shape the identity of the island continent as a separate entity from British colonial power.
“The men and women who serve in our armed forces, past and present, share the Australian people’s expectations of our armed forces, their aspirations for them and how they are reflected in their behavior,” Morrison told a news conference. He added: “This forces us to deal with honest and tough facts if expectations and standards are not respected.”
Some suggested that the ICC could take up these charges if Australia did not act.
In response to a question about whether the appointment of the attorney general reduces the risks of an international investigation, Morrison told reporters: “We think so. This is the advice we get.”
“We have to approach the issue as Australians according to our own laws and through our own judicial procedures,” the prime minister added.
This case was revealed in 2017 when the public broadcaster ABC published a series of investigations titled “Afghan Archives”, accusing Australian forces of killing unarmed men and boys in Afghanistan.
Police responded by opening an investigation with two “ABC” journalists, Daniel Oaks and Sam Clark, suspected of having classified information.
An inspection was carried out at the station’s Sydney headquarters last year, before the investigation was closed.
© 2020 AFP
