Ben Roberts-Smith may still remain a national hero in his country, but his image has been tarnished today: Australia's most decorated living soldier, who was once welcomed by Queen Elizabeth, has been found responsible for war crimes in Afghanistan.
In recent years, three Australian newspapers have published investigative reports on Roberts-Smith's actions in Afghanistan, where he served as part of the Australian SAS commando unit, claiming that he was responsible for killing unarmed prisoners. Roberts-Smith sued the newspapers for libel - and today he lost.
Roberts-Smith two years ago. He claimed his innocence, Photo: AP
The court found that in four of the six murders attributed to Roberts-Smith, newspapers met their burden of proof. According to the investigations, two murders were committed under the express orders or at least with Roberts-Smith's consent to educate soldiers who had not yet seen blood; In another case, a Taliban fighter was shot ten times in the back, at which point soldiers removed a prosthetic leg from his body and used it as a drinking utensil; And in the latter case, an Afghan farmer is bound and then pushed off a cliff. From a collision with the ground, the farmer lost his teeth and was then shot dead.
Roberts-Smith claimed that five of the six incidents occurred during a fight. The sixth, he claims, never happened.
Two of the journalists who exposed the affair, Nick Mackenzie (left) and Chris Masters, photo: AP
Judge Anthony Bezanko also accepted the newspapers' versions of attacks on other prisoners as well as harassment of other soldiers in the unit. At the same time, the newspapers were unable to prove two more murders, as well as assaulting a subordinate and assaulting a woman with whom Roberts-Smith had a relationship. Roberts-Smith sued The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times.
Australian forces were stationed in Afghanistan from 2021 to 2001. Roberts-Smith, 44, received Australia's highest decoration, the Victoria Cross, after overcoming a shootout with machine-gunned Taliban militants in 2011. As a result of his heroic act, he was met with Queen Elizabeth. He retired from military service in 2013.
Roberts-Smith's trial, dubbed the "Trial of the Century" in Australia, lasted 110 days and involved more than 40 witnesses, including Afghan villagers, an Afghan minister and a host of current and former SAS fighters. The affair also exposed the unit's "code of silence": cases of misconduct and more serious offenses were not reported, while others were classified as necessary.
At the end of the hearing, the journalists who exposed Roberts-Smith's exploits said that the court had given an official stamp to their reporting. "This is a day of justice for all those brave people at SAS who stood up and said who Roberts-Smith really is: a war criminal, a bully and a liar," said investigative journalist Nick McKenzie. "Today is also a day of justice, if only partially, for Roberts-Smith's Afghan victims."
Roberts-Smith's employer, media tycoon Kerry Stokes, said the decision was "inconsistent with the person" he knew. "I know it's very difficult for Ben, who has always maintained his innocence," Stokes said. Roberts-Smith was not present in the courtroom.
According to reports in Australia, dozens of soldiers are currently being investigated on suspicion of their involvement in war crimes, but so far only one indictment has been filed.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us