Australia's most decorated war veteran "responsible for murder", says judge
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The Australian judicial have uncovered one of the concealed issues arising from the murder of 3 innocent civilians who were killed in Afghanistan.
The judge handling the case have revealed that the most decorated Australian war veteran is responsible for the death of murder of 3 civilians.
Australia's most decorated soldier was "complicit in and responsible for the murder" of three Afghan men on deployment, a judge said, elaborating on his finding against the former SAS special forces corporal in a blockbuster defamation trial.
Ben Roberts-Smith, holder of the Victoria Cross and other top military honours, was also "not an honest and reliable witness in ... many areas" and a bully toward other Australian soldiers, Federal Court Judge Anthony Besanko said in his full judgement released on Monday.
The issue of his involvement in the killing of 3 Afghans was brought to fire after the accused filed a case against 3 newspaper organisation for defamation. Besanko said the media outlets had proven substantial truth in their reporting, ending a case which lifted the veil of secrecy over the elite SAS.
This report shows how many atrocities committed by top government/military officers have been kept secret even when there are clear evidences against those government officials. Justice must prevail across the world irrespective of the office the individual or group of individuals are holding. For this is a right step in the right direction.
Australian civil courts require a lower threshold to prove accusations than criminal courts do. Roberts-Smith has not been charged with any offences and has not commented since the ruling. His lawyer was not immediately available for comment. Roberts-Smith has since quit his job as a television executive.
Besanko delayed releasing reasons for his judgement until Monday to allow the Australian government time to ensure it did not inadvertently divulge national security secrets.
"I have found that the applicant (Roberts-Smith) was complicit in and responsible for the murder of EKIA56 ... in 2009 and the murder of Ali Jan at Darwan on 11 September 2012 and the murder of the Afghan male at Chinartu on 12 October 2012," Besanko said in his 736-page civil court judgment.
The newspaper reported that Robert-Smith ordered a lower ranking officer to shoot an adult Afghan male to death and by implication, the lower ranking officer had no choice than to obey his superior, making Robert-Smith responsible to the murder of the man.
In addition, Besanko said: "I find that in a compound in Chinartu ... the applicant, through an interpreter ordered (an un-named person) to shoot an Afghan male who was under detention".
A soldier who was there "shot the Afghan male in circumstances amounting to murder. The applicant (Roberts-Smith) was complicit in and responsible for murder", the judgment said.
In conclusion, Robert-Smith was seen as a national hero and his portrait hung in the Australian War Memorial for he role he played in the six years they spent in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012. There are evidences of war crimes committed by Robert-Smith and other members of the Australia's Special Air Service Regiment (SAS)(who killed dozens of unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan) and yet nothing much have been done to bring them to justice. Only one soldier has been charged. Let justice be given to those who dead from brutality and other war crimes.
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Didn't raw bodycam video come out via ABC's Four Corners several years ago showing him (or his troops) shooting unarmed afghani civilians while they begged for their life?