Australian journalist Peter Cronau and (ret.) U.S. Col. Ann Wright discuss the recently released Australian government report on war crimes in Afghanistan and the history of impunity of U.S. war crimes.
Watch the replay here. Description of the program below.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ‘Four Corners’ journalist Peter Cronau and (ret.) U.S. Col. Ann Wright discuss the recently released Brereton Report on war crimes in Afghanistan by Australia’s Special Forces as well as the long history of impunity of U.S. war crimes.
Wright, who helped reopen the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan in 2001 as a U.S. diplomat, speaks of the America’s unspeakable crimes in that country and elsewhere and why thjey will continue until one thing happens.
The Australian report confirms revelations by ABC journalist Dan Oakes and Sam Clark in his 2017 ‘The Afghan Files’, after the military whistle-blower David McBride handed over about 1000 pages of classified material detailing the incidents. Nearly two years later, the national broadcaster was raided by the Australian Federal Police and both Oakes and McBride were charged.
A month before the release of the Brereton report, police decided to drop the charges against the journalist, after it was deemed by the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) to be not in the public interest. The prosecution of McBride continues however.
The ABC’s investigations team at Four Corners, led by Mark Willacy, continued to work on the story, and this led to the emergence of a second military whistle-blower, Braden Chapman, a Signals Intelligence officer who witnessed many of the alleged war crimes at close range. The result was a 44-minute documentary called ‘Killing Field’, which was aired in March 2020. Willacy has just been awarded the Gold Walkley, Australia’s equivalent of the Pulitzer, for his reporting.
WATCH: 4Corners’ award-winning report, ‘Killing Field’
once again this idotic notion of war crimes strongly supports the notion that there is a nice, legal way of performing mass murders…war is the crime, not the way in which it is conducted! if a rapist wears gloves and doesnlt punch his victim does that make rape okay? if a murderer uses pills instead of a gun does that make murder okay? duh?
The Geneva Conventions and the Hague Convention are rules to protect civilians and prisoners of war. The UN Charter allows the Security Council to authorize military action but only “to maintain or restore international peace and security” or under Article 51 in legitimate self-defense. If war is necessary there are laws to it.
An excellent informative discussion. I will be circulating it among Australians and others.
And yesterday the Australian Prime Minister condemns the Chinese for publishing a ‘fake’ news report on the issue. This is the audacity with which corporate imperialisms lackeys resort to!
War Crimes sounds like it is a CRIMINAL OFFENSE mostly against HUMANS. But then I would like to remind the readers of another whistleblower by the name of Julian Assange who had to flee into the protection of the Embassy of Equador for 8 years to escape ARREST & PROSECUTION by 2 of the largest Human VIOLATERS & MURDERERS on this PLANET = UK & USA. It proves beyond ANY DOUBT that releasing EVIDENCE of military ATROCITIES on this planet by AMERICAN or BRITISH military criminals are ABOVE the LAW. And as long as a Cheney or Rumsfeld are authorized to use the military for their overseas atrocities & wars without prosecution this planet will be UNSAFE & millions of innocent children & women will die!