Overview
- Labor MP Luke Gosling, the government’s special envoy for defence and veterans’ affairs, emailed all federal MPs urging them not to comment publicly on the case and cited distress among veterans and potential witnesses.
- Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, remains in AFP custody at Sydney’s Silverwater complex charged with five counts of the war crime of murder, with a bail review set for April 17.
- An unnamed former SAS veteran told 60 Minutes there was “no fog of war” in the alleged incidents and said soldiers who spoke up were vilified.
- The charges allege five killings in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, including at the Whiskey 108 compound, in Darwan where Ali Jan was allegedly killed, and in Syahchow, with each count carrying a potential life sentence.
- A former war crimes prosecutor said the case is complex and could take about two years, and noted criminal trials require proof beyond reasonable doubt unlike the earlier defamation ruling.