1y ago

If you're seeing this, I'm in jail.

(Not me) Official video from David McBride's Official Youtube channel. If you don't know who he is - I don't blame you, with how little coverage this story has gotten

Hacker News @lemmy.smeargle.fans

Australian War Crime Whistleblower David McBride Sentenced to Jail

19 1

25 comments

Can we get a simplified summary?
- David McBride is a former British Army major and lawyer for the Australian Army. He leaked documents to the ABC which formed the basis of its reporting on unlawful killings (murders) of Afghan civilians by Australian armed forces. He attempted to seek protection from prosecution through Australia's whistleblower laws, however the Australian Government denied expert testimony through the use of public interest immunity laws so the case went to trial and he was recently sentenced to five years and eight months imprisonment.
  
  It's a fucking travesty what's happening to him. He shone a light on some pretty sordid shit, shit that was definitely in the public interest to be reported, and he's been made into the villain.
  Our government should be fucking ashamed of themselves.

https://youtu.be/sYt4CxFfQUU
- This is the best explanation of the case in full context I've seen.

When is his "if you're seeing this video I've died mysteriously in prison" video coming out?

I'm gutted. Devastated.

It's a lot messier than most think.
ABC article
McBride's intention was not to leak to expose war crimes, it was to show how troops were being unnecessarily hounded by legal etc , ie 'over-zealous” investigations of special forces'
The ABC discovered war crimes in the leaks and went down that path.
Now McBride looks like the hero being victimised for exposing the war crimes.
- The abc is not biased at all in this, no. They're not the ones he leaked to.
  You make it sound like he accidentally leaked evidence of war crimes. He leaked evidence of war crimes comitted by generals as well as boots on the ground but somehow the abc's top 'investigative reporters' ie gov't stenographers are still missing that.
  
  Did you ready the article? McBride initially posted on his personal blog, which caught the attention of ABC journalist Dan Oakes. The information was leaked to Oakes and the ABC from there.
  My reading of the article was McBride didn't initially think there were war crimes committed but:
  ADF leadership alleg(ed) that SAS soldiers were being wrongly accused and illegally investigated for war crimes.
  “If there is political bullshit going on against soldiers, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re SAS or not, you need to stand up for it,”
  McBride didn't think war crimes had happened which is why he asserts that the soldiers were being wrongly accused and investigated. Oakes disagreed.
  Now the question is, why is Oakes making this allegation allegation against McBride if it's not true?
- Your link doesn't appear to be working. Here's an archived version of that article.

25 comments