Bereton report release: what we learned
That is where I will leave things for now. You can find the full story on the release of the Brereton report by my colleague Christopher Knaus here.
Here are the key findings:
- The report found there was “credible information” that 39 Afghans were allegedly murdered by Australian special forces in 23 incidents. Two more were cruelly treated.
- The report redacts much detail about the individual incidents, but the defence force chief Angus Campbell said none of the alleged killings took place in the heat of the battle. Most are alleged to have occurred while the Afghan victims were detained or under Australian forces’ control. None of the alleged victims were combatants.
- Brereton said the circumstances of each, were they to be eventually accepted by a jury, would constitute the war crime of murder, and recommended the investigation of criminal charges against 19 Australian service personnel.
- The report revealed an alleged practice known as “blooding”, or initiation, of young special forces soldiers. It describes a process in which young special forces soldiers would be instructed by their patrol commander to execute a detainee to gain their first kill. Weapons or radios, known as “throwdowns”, were allegedly placed on the body and a “cover story” was created to mask the crime and deflect any scrutiny. A culture of secrecy and cover-up pervaded the special forces. Campbell called blooding an “appalling practice”.
- The report clearly shows complaints about the Australians’ conduct were made, including by Afghan nationals and local human rights groups. They were ignored or dismissed as Taliban propaganda or attempts to secure compensation.
- Campbell apologised to the Afghan people, its leaders, and to the Australian people. He described the alleged conduct of the SAS soldiers as “shameful”, “deeply disturbing” and “appalling”. Brereton described it as “disgraceful and a profound betrayal” of all the Australian defence force stood for. He similarly described some of the alleged conduct as “possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia’s military history”.
- Campbell announced the disbanding of the second squadron of the SAS. He also said he would recommended to the governor general that the group meritorious citation for special forces, given to personnel serving from 2007 onwards, be withdrawn.
- The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, called his counterpart in Afghanistan, president Ashraf Ghani, to express his “deepest sorrow” over the findings.
Updated
Richard Marles says Brereton report is 'searingly honest'
Labor’s defence spokesman, Richard Marles, has told reporters in Melbourne the findings are “very sad” and “shameful” and it is “a difficult moment for Australia”.
His thoughts were with the victims and their families.
“To them, and to the people of Afghanistan, we say sorry. We acknowledge that the expressions of regret and sorrow on the part of the chief of the defence force and on the government have been utterly appropriate.”
Marles said he also felt for tens of thousands of ADF members who had provided distinguished service. He said the Brereton report did not pull any punches and was “searingly honest”: “It is actually the basis upon which we as a nation are able to heal.”
Marles repeated his call for the government to implement all the recommendations. He believed it would do so.
The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, who was also at the press conference, said it was a sad day for the country, but people should take heart from the report that Australia respected the rule of law.
Dreyfus said there was “difficult work ahead” for the civil criminal justice system. He said the report recommended 19 individuals be referred to the new office of special investigator for further investigations – something that may pave the way for prosecutions.
Dreyfus noted the Brereton inquiry was not a criminal trial and a lot of work lay ahead.
Updated
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described the report’s findings as “deeply troubling”.
David Tuck, its head of mission in Australia, said the revelations “should concern us all”.
“Above all else, we cannot lose sight of the lives lost and the families shattered. Our thoughts go to those who feel their loss. The people of Afghanistan have endured decades of war. In these times, we need to remember that we are bound by our shared humanity and dignity, whether Australian or Afghan.”
The ICRC, which has been present in Afghanistan since 1979, said steadfast adherence to international humanitarian law was “fundamental to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of conflict”.
Tuck said as much transparency as possible was “key to accountability in these matters”.
“Showing genuine effort to comply with the law of war makes that law stronger – and future violations less likely,” he said.
The ICRC would continue to work with the ADF in line with its mandate to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict.
Without commenting on the specifics, he said the ICRC stood ready to help the ADF implement the recommendations “with a view to strengthening respect” for international humanitarian law.
Updated
The Greens senator Jordon Steele-John says the new special investigator should explore criminal prosecutions against SAS commanders whose “negligence results in an unlawful killing”.
Both the office of the special investigator and the oversight committee must be independent, without any personal or professional ties to the Australian defence force. So far, these assurances have not been given.
Maj Gen Campbell stated that the commanders who either didn’t know what was happening on the ground or turned a blind eye to sanitised reporting would be disciplined internally and not referred to the special investigator. When negligence results in an unlawful killing there are pathways for prosecuting that as a criminal matter and these must be explored.
Any deliberations between Maj Gen Campbell, as chief of the defence force, and Gen Burr, as the chief of army, about consequences for commanders who failed to act must be transparent so that the Australian public can be assured that this toxic warrior culture is being properly addressed.
And finally, the public have a right to seriously question the involvement of both Maj Gen Campbell and Gen Burr’s in the implementation of the report’s recommendations and in future disciplinary actions related to this investigation, given both played leadership roles in the Afghanistan war.
Updated
The minister for defence personnel, Darren Chester, has just released this statement:
We ask a lot of every person who puts on the defence uniform and the last 20 years has seen one of the highest operational tempos in our military history.
During this time, more than 39,000 Australians have deployed to Afghanistan and for the overwhelming majority their service was in keeping with the values we expect as a nation, and the high standards they demand of each other.
However, as revealed today by the chief of the defence force, the findings of the inspector general of the Australian defence force (IGADF) Afghanistan inquiry are deeply concerning.
The people involved will be held accountable through the independent processes detailed by the CDF, but we must not allow the alleged actions of a relatively small number to stain the reputations of the thousands who serve today, and the broader veteran community.
This inquiry has highlighted key issues that must be addressed, and I would like to acknowledge the courage of those people who have come forward to provide information to the inquiry and helped us confront these issues.
This has been challenging for some of our veterans and serving ADF personnel who have shared their accounts of events that happened in the theatre of war, and my primary concern is the welfare support for those involved, and their families.
Updated
Rex Patrick calls on ADF commanders to 'fall on your swords'
Independent senator Rex Patrick has released a lengthy statement calling for ADF commanders “to take personal responsibility for the command failures that allowed war crimes to be committed by ADF personnel in Afghanistan”.
He has also called on the parliament to make a formal apology to the people of Afghanistan.
As a former member of the Australian defence force, I am absolutely appalled by the revelations of at least 39 unlawful killings by ADF personnel. This is a very grim day for the standing of the ADF.
While prime minister Scott Morrison has called Afghanistan’s president Ashraf Ghan, and defence force chief Gen Angus Campbell today apologised on behalf of the ADF, the Australian parliament should support a national apology to the people of Afghanistan. This is a grave matter that must be addressed at the centre of Australia’s democracy.
The parliament should also endorse efforts wherever possible to provide support to the families of the victims.
The individuals responsible for these atrocities must be fully held to account. So too must those in the ADF chain of command who were responsible for the units and operations in question. There appears to have been a totally unacceptable breakdown of oversight, control and discipline.
Unit and taskforce commanders, past and present, must step up and take personal responsibility for the actions of their personnel in what were clearly not isolated incidents. They should not await potentially protracted disciplinary and administrative processes of further investigation. Those commanders should step forward now and publicly accept moral responsibility for their grave failures of command.
They should fall on their swords.
Updated
Last week the prime minister established a special investigator to consider criminal cases against Australian special forces in Afghanistan. The reason for that, as Brereton makes clear, is that the inquiry “is not a criminal trial”.
The inquiry is not confined to evidence that would be admissible in a court of law, but can inform itself as it sees fit, and has done so, as is appropriate for an inquiry of this nature. Witnesses who have given evidence to the inquiry under compulsion may not be willing to give it to prosecutorial authorities. Witnesses on whose evidence the inquiry has relied have, while tested by the inquiry, not been cross-examined by an opposing party.
But “findings that there is ‘credible information’ of a war crime have not been lightly reached”.
Generally the inquiry has required eyewitness accounts, corroboration, persuasive circumstantial evidence, and/or strong similar fact evidence, for such a finding.
Updated
Brereton’s report has recommended that the chief of the defence force refer 36 matters to the Australian federal police for criminal investigation. The matters relate to 23 incidents and involve 19 individuals.
Earlier we heard the report found that Australian special forces were allegedly involved in the murder of 39 Afghan civilians, in some cases executing prisoners to “blood” junior soldiers before inventing cover stories and planting weapons on corpses, a major report has found.
Updated
'Possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia's military history'
Those of us who weren’t in the lock-up are now poring over the report. One section in particular which Campbell was asked about in the press conference, is drawing a lot of attention.
In one chapter Brereton mentions an incident in 2012. We don’t know anything about it because it is entirely redacted, but he writes:
There is no credible information that troop, squadron and task group commanders either knew or suspected that these things were happening, and that they did not fail to take reasonable steps which could have prevented or discovered them.
However, what is described in this chapter is possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia’s military history, and the commanders at troop, squadron and task group level bear moral command responsibility for what happened under their command, regardless of personal fault.
I have to say it’s unclear to me whether he is referring to one specific incident or the broader findings of the report.
"what is described in this Chapter is possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia’s military history"
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) November 19, 2020
That is a pretty big statement pic.twitter.com/VD5jvaPCXD
Updated
The opposition defence spokesman, Richard Marles, and shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus have called for the government to accept all the recommendations in the Brereton report.
It’s a lengthy statement, but I’ve included all of it:
The release of today’s report by the inspector general of the Australian defence force (IGADF) into allegations of war crimes committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan is a difficult moment for the nation.
Findings ... that credible information exists in relation to some members of Australia’s special forces having engaged in unlawful killings and cruel treatment while deployed in Afghanistan are appalling.
This report makes difficult reading. It states that credible evidence exists that members of our most elite armed forces behaved unlawfully, unconscionably and committed war crimes as defined by the Australian criminal justice system.
These allegations in respect of a few do not detract from the sacrifice of the many who have served our country, and in particular the thousands of current and former soldiers who served in Afghanistan.
It is important the government accepts all recommendations made by Maj Gen Paul Brereton.
Maj Gen Brereton has demonstrated the utmost integrity in handling this difficult task and we thank him for his work.
We also acknowledge the courageous leadership within the Australian defence force in ordering this investigation and now committing to the next steps. As chief of the defence force Angus Campbell said today: ‘It is my duty to set things right.’
Today will be distressing for many who have shown extraordinary bravery in speaking up about what they saw and knew was inappropriate conduct. Giving voice to their concerns would not have been easy.
The report highlights the protective culture insulating special forces soldiers was a key factor in creating an environment that allowed unlawful behaviour to fester.
Today also demonstrates that we should have faith in the Australian justice system. Where allegations of bad conduct are made, they are properly investigated, and the findings acted on.
The confronting honesty of the IGADF report highlights that Australia is a country that respects the Geneva conventions, human rights, and the rule of law, and that no one is exempt from those laws.
We support the establishment of the office of the special investigator to oversee the investigations following this report. It is now appropriate that it is allowed to do its work free of any prejudice or political interference.
Updated
The (redacted) report is now online.
You can find the redacted report here
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) November 19, 2020
Resources | IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry https://t.co/mVknK1XeN8
Defence minister Linda Reynolds has issued a statement on the report. She calls the findings “very serious matters”, but says she “remains proud” of the men and women of the Australian military.
Minister for Defence @lindareynoldswa statement on the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry Report #auspol pic.twitter.com/NgWGqmikYy
— Political Alert (@political_alert) November 19, 2020
Updated
And that’s the end of the press conference.
Campbell is asked by journalist Chris Masters – who has broken many stories on the SAS in Afghanistan – how believable it is that for between six and seven years “no one between a lieutenant and a lieutenant general had any direct knowledge of what went on”.
The inquiry report indicates that while there is no indicator of knowledge or intent to contribute to alleged unlawful behaviours, but there are aspects of the work done through the units, both in the special operations task group and in the unions at home that were supporting and providing the personnel to Afghanistan, that there is a responsibility to know, to be curious, to understand what is going on in your organisation. I think that is a really important factor in what he is finding. It is, I know, because I have spoken to them, very distressing for many in terms of the reflection of how they undertook their duties and what they did or didn’t understand or see or realise.
Updated
Campbell is asked about his conversation with the chief of staff of the Afghan army, General Yasin Zia.
He was very gracious, indeed incredibly gracious. He expressed sorrow for the loss and an appreciation that we would engage with him and with Afghanistan and would deal with this in a thorough and determined way and that we would wish to make sure it was known and then that we would look to support the circumstances of families affected, and I must say I was humbled and deeply appreciative of the manner in which he received this news.
Updated
Here is our full report on the shocking allegations within the Brereton report, from Christopher Knaus.
Were there any warning signs? Should the highest levels of command known what was happening?
The Brereton report notes that the SAS were above question, particularly by outsiders, and a culture of secrecy within each patrol kept their actions from others.
They modified their operation reports and invented cover stories to paint a better light on their actions.
But even still, a separate review conducted by the IGADF, also released on Thursday, describes a kind of “organisational blindness” to the special forces’ actions by those higher up in the chain of command.
The collective sacrifices of the special forces in some way “justified certain excesses”, the review said, and more minor deviances from expected behaviour, like drinking heavily on base, were tolerated.
Complaints from locals and human rights groups were dismissed as “Taliban propaganda” or attempts to obtain compensation, the report said.
“It is clear that there were warning signs out there, but nothing happened,” David Wetham, the assistant IGADF wrote in his review.
Campbell is asked what he would say to the families of Afghan civilians allegedly killed by SAS soldiers.
I am sincerely sorry for their loss, and I cannot image the pain and suffering and the uncertainty that loss has caused. Both at the time and that continued uncertainty of how this happened.
He said he wanted to “find a way to make recompense”.
Angus Campbell apologises to people of Afghanistan and Australia
The chief of the ADF, Angus Campbell, apologised to the people of Afghanistan and Australia as he promised to act on the Brereton report’s “shameful”, “deeply disturbing” and “appalling” findings about the conduct of Australian special forces.
Campbell said Brereton had found credible information to “substantiate 23 incidents of alleged unlawful killing of 39 people by 25 Australian special forces personnel, predominantly from the Special Air Service regiment”.
Campbell said those alleged to be killed were prisoners, farmers or other civilians.
“This shameful record includes alleged instances in which newer patrol members were coerced to shoot a prisoner to achieve that soldier’s first kill in an appalling practice known as blooding.”
Weapons and radios were reportedly planted to support claims that people killed were enemy killed in action, he added.
Campbell said some of these incidents took place in 2009 and 2010, with the majority occurring in the latter years of 2012 and 2013.
“To the people of Afghanistan on behalf of the Australian defence force I sincerely and unreservedly apologise for any wrongdoing by Australian soldiers,” he said.
“And to the people of Australia, I am sincerely sorry for any wrongdoing by members of the Australian Defence Force.”
People would have expected their defence force to act in accordance with the nation’s values, he said.
Campbell said he had accepted all 143 recommendations. He said individual alleged to have engage in criminal conduct would be referred to the office of the special investigator. He also foreshadowed changes to the army’s organisational structure. He said he would review options to revoke honours and awards.
Campbell said the majority of special forces “did not choose to take this unlawful path”.
Campbell indicated that task group commanders bear some responsibility for what happened.
He made clear that being unaware of or deliberately kept unaware of these matters “does not relieve commanders of moral responsibility”.
“Higher command should have recognised sooner that the units of special operations command were unable to sustain all of the demands placed on them.”
Updated
Military sociologist Samantha Crompvoets told of 'blood lust'
One of the more disturbing alleged incidents canvassed in the documents released on Thursday comes from prior work by military sociologist Samantha Crompvoets, who had the job of examining special forces culture and began to hear disturbing allegations of war crimes.
One soldier told her: “Guys just had this blood lust. Psychos. Absolute psychos. And we bred them.”
She heard one allegation that two 14-year-old boys were stopped by SAS, who decided they might be Taliban sympathisers. Their throats were slit.
“The rest of the troop then had to ‘clean up the mess’ by finding others to help dispose of the bodies,” Crompvoets reported. “In the end, the bodies were bagged and thrown in a nearby river.”
Her work eventually triggered the Brereton report.
Updated
Campbell is asked what the ADF intends to do about individuals who did not bear criminal negligence, but may have been negligent.
I will look at them case by case, working with the chief of army and dealing with our administrative and disciplinary processes to understand their part in this story and their degree of accountability and what actions should be taken against them, if, indeed, actions should be taken.
Updated
Angus Campbell asked about 'warrior culture'
Campbell is asked about the “warrior culture” that Brereton outlines in the report.
By warrior culture, justice Brereton is, I think, speaking to a slow deviation from normal and good culture in a military environment where, instead of seeking to serve others, you seek to serve yourself and to do so in a manner that creates power and authority and prestige. It is destructive because you are no longer looking at the mission that we are all there to work together to achieve. And it must be stamped out. It is absolutely antithetical not just a special operations, but to professional military forces and absolutely to the Australian Defence Force.
Updated
So who is to blame? Well, the Brereton report, to a large degree, absolves senior command of blame for, or knowledge of, the war crimes being committed.
Instead, it says that the criminality was committed and covered up by patrol commanders, usually sergeants or corporals, and involved a “small number of patrol commanders and their protegees”.
“While it would have been much easier to report that it was poor command and leadership that was primarily to blame for the events disclosed in this report, that would be a gross distortion,” the report said.
Patrol commanders, the report found, were viewed by troopers as “demigods”, making it impossible to speak out about their actions.
“They are hero worshipped and unstoppable,” one anonymous soldier explained.
I’m flitting now between the report and Campbell’s ongoing press conference. Campbell is asked about a recommendation in the report for compensation to the families of Afghan civilians who were allegedly killed unlawfully by SAS soldiers.
Campbell:
That is going to be something we will work with, both the wider government in Australia, and also the Afghan governments and elements of Afghan community to determine. But I very much support the recommendation of Justice Brereton.
Some of the incidents described in the report are jaw-dropping. Evidence suggests junior soldiers were instructed by their superiors to execute prisoners in cold blood as part of a “blooding” process to give them their first kill.
“Typically, the patrol commander would take a person under control and the junior member... would then be directed to kill the person under control,” the report found. “‘Throwdowns’ would be placed with the body and a ‘cover story’ was created for the purposes of operational reporting and to deflect scrutiny.”
Credible information also suggests special forces planted “throwdowns” - weapons, radios, or other equipment – on the corpses of Afghans to justify the killings.
Campbell is asked whether he expected the findings to be “this bad” and what the future of the SAS is.
Campbell:
When the rumours were first raised with me late in 2015, I had the sense that there was something here. But I never expected to read some of the material that I have reviewed over the last two weeks. Of allegations with regard to behaviour of modern, professional, Australian military personnel. The special operations capability is [an] incredible national asset but part of it has, by allegation, performed in a way of grave concern to us. There is an enormous amount of effort and it has been going on now for five years, and will continue, at scale, to see that capability returned to what I remember it to be, a magnificent capability across the board.
The findings of the Brereton report have just been released. They are truly shocking.
Australian special forces were allegedly involved in the murder of 39 Afghan civilians and cruelly treated two others.
In some cases, they allegedly executed prisoners to “blood” or initiate junior soldiers, giving them their first kill, before inventing cover stories and planting weapons on corpses to hide their actions..
Brereton’s report describes the special forces’ actions as “disgraceful and a profound betrayal” of the Australian Defence Force and all it stands for.
His report details 23 incidents in which 39 Afghans were unlawfully killed, either by special forces or at the instruction of special forces.
None of the killings took place in the heat of battle, and they took place in circumstances which, if accepted by a jury, would constitute the war crime of murder, the report found.
All the victims were either non-combatants or were no longer combatants, the report finds. A total of 25 perpetrators have been identified either as principals or accessories. Some are still serving in the ADF.
In all cases, the report finds it “was or should have been plain that the person killed was a non-combatant”. The vast majority of victims had been captured and were under control, giving them the protection under international law.
Brereton has been investigating shocking allegations against elite Australian troops since 2016, when he was tasked with examining dozens of incidents in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.
His work involved reviewing 20,000 documents and 25,000 images. His team interviewed 423 witnesses.
“We embarked on this inquiry with the hope that we would be able to report that the rumours of war crimes were without substance. None of us desired the outcome to which we have come,” he said. “We are all diminished by it.”
Aside from criminal prosecution, his recommendations include paying immediate compensation to victims and their families, revoking the meritorious unit citation to the entire Special Operations Task Group, and potentially cancelling the individual medals for those concerned.
Campbell says he will write to the Governor General with regard to “the honours and awards received by a range of offices both in Australia and Afghanistan”. He says he will ask the Governor General to “revoke the meritorious unit citation for special operations task groups who served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013”.
Campbell says individuals involved in alleged unlawful criminal conduct will be referred to the government’s new special investigator.
With regard to individual and collective accountability, individuals alleged of unlawful criminal conduct will be referred to the office of the special investigator. Individuals in alleged to be negligent in the performance of the duty will be managed through administrative and disciplinary processes.
Campbell:
I have accepted all of the Inspector General’s findings and a comprehensive implementation plan is being developed to action his 143 recommendations and any additional measures necessary. I will lead this effort, supported by the Chief of Army and other senior defence leaders.
Campbell says those alleged to have been unlawfully killed include prisoners, farmers and other civilians.
He says the “shameful record” includes alleged instances in which new patrol members were involved in an “appalling practice known as blooding”.
Further to this, weapons and radios were allegedly planted to support claims that people killed were enemy killed in action. Some of these incidents took place in 2009 and 2010, with the majority occurring in the latter years of 2012 and 2013.
Brereton report finds alleged unlawful killing of 39 people.
Justice Brereton considered in a detailed 57 allegations of incidents and issues.
Campbell says he found there to be “credible information to substantiate 23 incidents of alleged unlawful killing of 39 people by 25 Australian Special Forces personnel, predominantly from the Special Air Service Regiment”.
Updated
Campbell talks about the counterinsurgency environment of Afghanistan, and the so-called “catch and release” patrols.
In this context, it is alleged that some patrols took the law into their own hands, rules were broken, stories conducted, lies told and prisoners killed. And once that rule was broken, so too, for some, was any further restraint. Those who wish to speak up were allegedly discouraged, intimidated and discredited.
Campbell has outlined a culture of “toxic competitiveness” within the SAS which led to “cutting corners, ignoring and bending rules”.
The report, he says, finds that some Special Air Service Regiment commanders in Australia fostered “a misplaced focus on prestige, status and power” that led to a “distorted culture” which was “embraced and amplified by some experienced, charismatic and influential non-commissioned officers and their proteges who sought to fuse military excellence with ego, elitism and entitlement”.
Cutting corners, ignoring and bending rules was normalised. What also emerged was a toxic, competitiveness between the Special Air Service Regiment end of the second commando Regiment.
Campbell has also apologised to the Afghan people.
Campbell says the report found that “none of the alleged unlawful killings were described as being in the heat of battle”.
None were alleged to have occurred in circumstances in which the intent of the perpetrator was unclear, confused or mistaken. And every person spoken to by the inquiry thoroughly understood the law of armed conflict and the rule of engagement under which they operated. These findings allege the most serious breaches of military conduct and professional values.
Updated
General Angus Campbell is speaking now.
He says an “enormous amount of good work was done by many” Australian soliders in Afghanistan, and Australians “should be proud of their contribution”.
But, he says, the conduct detailed in this report is “greatly at odds with that good effort, and damaging to our moral authority as a military force”.
The report details “credible information regarding deeply disturbing allegations of unlawful killings by some”.
We expect to hear from the chief of the Australian defence force, General Angus Campbell, in about five minutes.
Pre-empting the report’s release, Scott Morrison last week announced a special investigator would be appointed to consider criminal cases against Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
The government also said it would also set up an independent oversight panel to give people confidence the Australian defence force was tackling the serious cultural issues uncovered by the four-year investigation into alleged war crimes.
An inquiry led by the Maj Gen Justice Paul Brereton, has been examining the conduct of elite Australian forces in at least 55 incidents of alleged breaches of the laws of armed conflict between 2005 and 2016.
These included alleged unlawful killings of people who were non-combatants or “cruel treatment” of such people, according to a report tabled in parliament earlier this year.
Morrison said last week he wanted to prepare the nation for a “long and arduous journey” given “the likely allegations of serious and possibly criminal misconduct”.
The office of the special investigator – to be established within the Department of Home Affairs – would address the criminal matters outlined in the inspector general’s report.
The office would investigate those allegations, gather evidence and, where appropriate, refer briefs to the commonwealth director of public prosecutions.
This could all take a long time.
In the lead-up to the report’s release, the president of the Law Council of Australia, Pauline Wright, backed calls for the Australian government to set up a redress scheme for victims or their families, but emphasised the need for the claims to first be tested in court.
Wright told the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday that if the investigations resulted in convictions it was “incumbent upon our government to have some kind of compensation scheme”.
She called on the government to set up an investigation process that was “thorough and fair, not only for the victims of the alleged war crimes but also for the people accused”.
“Justice delayed is justice denied and if people are being accused of war crimes, which is a very serious thing to be hanging over one’s head, the obligation of a government to ensure that that process is dealt with in a timely way has to be foremost,” Wright said.
Victims’ families also wanted their complaints to be investigated promptly and thoroughly, “otherwise that sense of injustice hangs over those people”.
Morrison expresses 'deepest sorrow' to president of Afghanistan
Ahead of the report’s release today, prime minister Scott Morrison called his counterpart in Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani, to express his “deepest sorrow”.
Ghani’s spokesperson said, via Twitter, that Morrison had “expressed his deepest sorrow over the misconduct by some Australian troops in Afghanistan and assured the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan of the investigations and to ensuring justice”.
His office also said that foreign minister Marise Payne had written to the Afghani foreign minister to “extended apologies for the misconduct identified by the inquiry, by some Australian military personnel in Afghanistan”.
The letter reads: “The Australian Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds and the Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell AO DSC, are now considering the inquiry’s extensive findings and recommendations and will make public statements subsequently”.
President Ashraf Ghani and Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia spoke by phone today. pic.twitter.com/MNWe6Jchf5
— ارگ (@ARG_AFG) November 18, 2020
Morrison’s office confirmed the prime minister had called Ghani to foreshadow the report’s release.
Morrison’s office readout says: “He said the report contained some disturbing allegations and the Australian government was taking those allegations very seriously.”
Morrison’s office said Ghani indicated he was counting on Australia’s justice system to follow up on these matters.
Updated
Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s live blog ahead of the release of the long-awaited Brereton report into alleged war crimes by special forces soldiers in Afghanistan.
Right now, our reporter Christopher Knaus is in a lock-up absorbing the report before its public release at about 11.20am. He’ll have the key points here for you when that happens.
We’ll also hear from the chief of the Australian defence force, General Angus Campbell, at about the same time.
In the meantime, to get you up to speed, here’s our explainer on its origins and what to expect from the report.
Updated
