December 9th According to the British Guardian on the 9th, Human Rights Watch recently wrote to Australian Prime Minister Morrison, reminding the Australian government of its obligation to compensate the families of war crimes victims and expressing his feelings about Morrison’s claim that compensation is not considered. To “uneasy”.
The global human rights organization also urged Morrison to investigate the potential criminal responsibility of senior Australian commanders for alleged atrocities and ensure that the Special Investigation Office is free from political or military interference.
The letter also called for the withdrawal of the prosecution of David McBride, a former military lawyer, who exposed Australian atrocities.
Angus Campbell, the commander of the Australian Defence Force, released a report of atrocities that shocked the world last month, confirming that Australian soldiers “illegally killed” 39 prisoners of war and civilians while in Afghanistan.
The Australian called it the “most shameful page” in Australian military history, and the Australian Financial Review believed that the exposure not only brought an ugly shadow to the Australian army, but also to the military history and the whole Australian country.
The Afghan Human Rights and Law Organization subsequently urged the Australian government to compensate the families of the victims.
Campbell expressed support for the proposal: “We will seek to work with other relevant government departments to develop a ‘Compensation Plan’ and will contact the Afghan government as soon as possible.”
However, Morrison later told the media: “Compensation is not an issue that the government is considering at this stage.” Elaine Pearson, Regional Director of Human Rights Watch Australia, recently sent a letter to Morrison expressing concern about his remarks and reminding him that international humanitarian law “gives victims the right to full, effective and prompt compensation”.
We are upset that you (Morrison) say that the government has not considered compensation for the Afghans who suffered in the incident at this stage.”
