War crimes whistleblower McBride faces life sentence: Must watch interview!
Nov 1, 2022Last week, the moral fibre of Australia’s political and judicial system was put to its latest test when war crimes whistleblower David McBride was put on trial. He faces up to 50 years in prison. Watch McBride tell his remarkable story here.
CITIZENS INSIGHT – Risking a life sentence to expose war crimes and lies – David McBride
Yes, the man who blew the whistle on the war crimes is the one who is on trial, while those in authority who covered up the war crimes remain free to rule and command.
What does this say about what sort of country Australia has become?
Australians can choose to ignore this travesty of justice that is such a glaring contradiction to our narrative of being a nation that supports human rights and the rule of law, as that is always the easiest way to deal with such things.
Or we can take responsibility to be informed of why this is happening, so we can do what we must to reverse our nation’s chilling march down the path to a martial police state.
David McBride was a Major in the Australian Army when he blew the whistle on war crimes committed by Australians in Afghanistan and covered up by their superiors.
David explains to Citizens Insight that as much as he was outraged by the crimes, his real motivation was exposing the cover-up, which is from a culture that is destroying the fabric of the Australian Defence Force.
Unable to get the ADF to act on the allegations, he resorted to leaking what became known as the “Afghan Files” to the ABC in 2017.
This leak led to the AFP-ASIO raid on the ABC in 2019, and David leaving the country for a period until deciding to return and face charges.
David reveals he has rejected cutting any deal to face lesser charges and avoid jail time, because he is determined to use his case to put the entire system on trial, even if it means he risks 50 years’ incarceration.
The in-depth interview with Citizens Insight gives Australians a deep insight into David McBride’s experience, and thinking, that eventually led him to become a whistleblower.
It covers:
- David McBride’s family and professional background, including his family connection to one of the most famous whistleblowers in Australian history;
- His experience in Afghanistan before 9/11, which gave him insights that stood in contrast to his military deployments to Afghanistan after 9/11;
- His two deployments to Afghanistan with the ADF;
- His personal anger at the way politicians use the military for public relations, and the political cover-up machinery that blocked the truth for coming out;
- How he obtained and leaked the Afghan files to the ABC;
- His time out of Australia to avoid prosecution, and the extraordinary support of his family that motivated him to decide to return and take on the legal fight head-on;
- What he hopes to, and is confident he will, achieve in exposing and holding to account the ADF cover-up apparatus through his trial;
- The way his personal experience in taking on the machinery that draws Australia into Anglo-American forever wars has led him to a different understanding of global geopolitical issues, including the tensions with Russia and China.
David McBride joins Timor-Leste Cabinet Office bugging whistleblower Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery, secret trial subject Witness J, ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle, and of course Julian Assange as prominent Australian whistleblowers persecuted for exposing wrongdoing to the public.
Moreover, in his case and that of Witnesses K and J, they are being subjected to secret trials on the pretext of “national security”.
This is not due process; this is not the rule of law; this is not in keeping with a commitment to the human rights that Australia preaches around the world.
Australians cannot continue to ignore these travesties of justice and sweep them under the carpet; we are all responsible as citizens of this nation, as they are being committed in our name!
David McBride is now a big supporter of Julian Assange, and spends much of his time campaigning with Julian Assange’s father John Shipton and brother Gabriel Shipton for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to follow through on his pre-election statements and demand Julian’s release.
All Australians should be inspired by his example, and take up the fight alongside David McBride to achieve justice, right wrongs, and make a country a better place and a better member of the community of nations.