The civil society in Pakistan has expressed its shock over findings of Afghanistan inquiry report, compiled by Maj Gen Justice Paul Brereton, Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force. The report has found that Australian Special Forces were involved in killing of 39 Afghan civilians.
Last week, the civil society activists and students held a protest against this act in front of the National Press Club in Islamabad. They demanded that the international community remove Australia from NATO, in addition to a UN-led probe into the matter. They also demanded that the victim families be paid $1 million compensation each and a chance to study in Australia.
The protestors marked the International Day of Human Rights. All the 39 Afghan prisoners were non-combatant, according to the report, which also says that a small group within the elite Special Air Services and commando regiments killed Afghan civilians, in some cases allegedly slitting throats, gloating about their actions, keeping kill counts, and photographing bodies with planted phones and weapons to justify their actions.
These findings, the civil society activists in Islamabad say, pose a question to the ‘champions of human rights’ as to why are they silent when a western democracy like Australia killed innocent civilian, just like the Indians are doing in Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
The report also finds that the special forces were responsible for dozens of unlawful killings and these killings were deliberately covered up. Further, the 39 Afghans who were unlawfully killed in 23 incidents, were also filmed. None of the killings took place in the heat of battle, and they all occurred in circumstances which, if accepted by a jury, would constitute the war crime of murder. During the inquiry, a total of 25 perpetrators have been identified either as principals or accessories. Some of the incidents described in the report are deeply troubling. 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. The chief of the ADF, General Angus Campbell, promised to act on the Brereton report’s findings about the conduct of Australian special forces.
“Victim family can never be compensated. The question is will the government of Australia give them financial compensation? Will the remaining family be given options to get out of Afghanistan and settled in Australia as compensation?” the civil society wondered. “International human rights watchdogs have also raised voice against this crime and demanded an appropriate action. Though the Australian prime minister and the army chief have tendered apology, it is not enough as long as the victim families are not compensated,” they demanded.
