The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday said that the Australian authorities are seeking to “soft-pedal” the war crimes that the country’s troops committed in Afghanistan.
“It’s absolutely clear that the ruling establishment of the Green Continent is trying its best to soft-pedal the issue of the war crimes committed by Australian troops in Afghanistan, a topic it finds very uncomfortable,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
“In any case, this seemed to be the underlying reason behind the activity – or, more precisely, the inactivity – of the previous liberal cabinet led by disgraced Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which included a no less notorious defense minister, Peter Dutton,” she added.
The statement said that members of veteran organizations, media outlets and some political forces not affiliated with the current authorities “have been pointing out that attempts to close the shameful Afghan files by putting all the blame on privates and sergeants from special operations forces were unacceptable.”
“In particular, Senator Malcolm Roberts of the One Nation opposition party suggested during parliamentary hearings in May that Chief of the Australian Defense Force General Angus Campbell return the Distinguished Service Cross that he was awarded in 2012 as commander of the Australian troops in the Middle East,” Zakharova said.
According to her, new data about Australian war crimes make it clear that “this issue is institutional and deeply rooted, particularly in the elite units of the country’s armed forces.”
“The ruling circles’ attempts to hush the public outcry by taking only palliative measures indicate double standards and the hypocritical nature of Australia’s political class, which disregards its own flaws but readily castigates other countries for failing to meet Western standards,” Zakharova emphasized.
This comes after Australia’s most decorated war veteran was found by a civil court on June 1 to have played a part in the murder of four civilians in Afghanistan while serving in the country.
Ben Roberts-Smith, holder of the Victoria Cross and other top military honors, said after the ruling that he remained proud of his actions in Afghanistan, where he served in the Special Air Service on six tours from 2006 to 2012.
An Australian federal court judge had dismissed Roberts-Smith’s defamation case against three newspapers for articles accusing him of violating the rules of engagement and killing unarmed Afghans. In his ruling the judge said the newspapers had proven substantial truth in their reporting. read more
The civil court defamation finding required a lower threshold of proof than a criminal court would. Roberts-Smith, 44, whose portrait hangs in the Australian War Memorial, has not been charged with any crimes.
Still, the judgment was embraced by the defendants and representatives of the media and defense industries as a win for public interest journalism and transparency in relation to Australia’s military conduct abroad.
