Australian police have charged a former soldier with war crimes charges, with local media reporting that he is Ben Roberts-Smith, a recipient of the nation’s highest medal for bravery.
The 47-year-old was charged on Tuesday with five counts of war crimes murder, according to a police statement, which said he had been refused bail and was due to appear in court on Wednesday.
The man was arrested earlier in the day on allegations that he was involved in the deaths of several Afghan nationals between 2009 and 2012 “in circumstances that amount to war crimes”, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a news conference.
Roberts-Smith served with the Australian Special Forces and did several tours in Afghanistan, for his actions he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the military’s highest medal for bravery.
The court case is the latest twist in long-running allegations that Australian soldiers have committed crimes during their deployment in Afghanistan, with a government report saying 39 Afghan individuals were “unlawfully killed by or at the behest of” the Australian military.
Roberts-Smith has always denied any wrongdoing.
In 2018, he sued various media organizations and journalists for defamation over reports that he had committed crimes in Afghanistan. The court ultimately ruled that the allegations that he was involved in the deaths of civilians were “substantially true” on the balance of probabilities.
However, this was a civil matter and not a criminal finding of guilt.
The maximum penalty for the charge is life in prison, according to a police statement.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
