(Sydney, March 23, 2020)
Australia’s Defence Department should reexamine
previously dismissed cases of alleged summary executions and other war crimes
in Afghanistan in light of new evidence, Human Rights
Watch said today in a letter to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds. The March 16,
2020 episode of ABC’s Four Corners reported on possible war crimes by
Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) members against Afghan civilians
and captured combatants in Afghanistan in 2012.
On March 19, the Defence Department announced that it had identified and
suspended from duty “Soldier C.,” an SAS member implicated in one of
the incidents shown on the Four Corners program, and that the matter had been
referred to the Australian Federal Police.
“Justice and accountability for alleged war crimes by Australian special
forces members in Afghanistan is long overdue,” said Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The Defence Department’s decision to suspend one of the soldiers
implicated is an important first step, but all those identified in alleged
atrocities should be suspended pending further investigations.”
Since 2016, the Office of the Inspector General of the Australian Defence
Force, led by New South Wales Judge Paul Brereton, has been investigating 55
cases of alleged war crimes by SAS members in Afghanistan. In the interest of
accountability, Defence Minister Reynolds should make a commitment to publicly
release the full inspector general’s report as soon as it is completed, Human
Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch urged Reynolds to ensure an independent inquiry into
allegations that officials or armed forces personnel may have suppressed
evidence of war crimes or other human rights abuses. All legal action against
those who reported these incidents, including whistleblowers, lawyers, and
journalists acting in the public interest, should be dropped.
“Investigations into alleged war crimes should focus on the people
responsible, not those who exposed the atrocities,” Pearson said.
“Australia’s reputation as a rights-respecting nation both during
peacetime and at war will hinge on how the government addresses the most
egregious cases of alleged abuse.”
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on
Australia, please visit:
https://www.hrw.org/asia/australia
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on
Afghanistan, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/asia/afghanistan
