Charge Aussie soldiers for war crimes over Afghan killings - PKR Youth leader
The Australian soldiers who were involved in the killing of 39 civilians in Afghanistan should be charged with war crimes at the International Criminal Court, said PKR Youth International Affairs Bureau chief Wong Chun Yuan.
Taking to social media yesterday, Wong (above) expressed his regret that the Australian government has yet to take action against the soldiers.
"What caused public outrage was the civilians were not killed at the...
The Australian soldiers who were involved in the killing of 39 civilians in Afghanistan should be charged with war crimes at the International Criminal Court, said PKR Youth International Affairs Bureau chief Wong Chun Yuan.
Taking to social media yesterday, Wong (above) expressed his regret that the Australian government has yet to take action against the soldiers.
"What caused public outrage was the civilians were not killed at the battlefield but (they were murdered) at a residential area when the then Australian Special Forces soldiers patrolled that area," he said.
This had contradicted the Geneva Convention, in which Australia is a full signatory of the treaty, added Wong.
"Regrettably, the Australian government has yet to take criminal actions against the soldiers. Only the country's Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised and pledged compensation to the family of the deceased.
"This is apparently not enough as the killing of Afghans cannot be defined as an individual case but a brutal massacre. The Australian government could not justify itself without bringing the soldiers to justice," he said.
Wong added that such inhumane behaviour should be condemned by the world.
"The Australian government should not evade its responsibility or attempt to downplay the issue. Instead, justice and fairness must be given to the deceased.
"At the same time, the military must be reformed to ensure similar incidents, so it will not happen again," he said.
It was reported last month that an inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan set up by the Australian Defence Force in March 2016, found that Australian troops killed 39 civilians and prisoners unlawfully in an environment of "blood lust" and "competition killings".
None of the 39 alleged unlawful killings happened in the heat of battle, according to the report, and the Afghans who died were non-combatants or no longer combatants.
Australia had apologised over the brutal act and pledged to act against the soldiers involved in the killings.
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