The case spanned more than 100 days of often startling testimony, cost more than $15 million and raised fresh allegations of atrocities committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
SYDNEY — Australia’s most decorated living soldier lost a high-profile defamation complaint against three of the country’s top newspapers Thursday, capping a case that spanned more than 100 days of often startling testimony, cost more than $15 million and raised fresh allegations of atrocities committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.The judgment was a victory for the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Times — and, said experts, for Australian journalism.
In a nation that prides itself on its outsize service in overseas wars, the case quickly assumed its own outsize symbolism. It pitted a towering war hero, who claimed he was the victim of jealous colleagues, against some of the nation’s top investigative journalists, who argued in court that their reporting was accurate.
The 6-foot-8-inch soldier shot to fame when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia — the country’s highest military honor — in 2011 for almost single-handedly saving fellow troops after they had been pinned down by Taliban machine gun fire during a 2010 operation.in the Australian War Memorial and the Father of the Year title in 2013.
Among the accusations were that Roberts-Smith kicked a handcuffed Afghan man off a cliff and then ordered him shot; shot a teenage prisoner point-blank in the head; and gunned down a disabled man, whose prosthetic leg was later used by SAS soldiers to drink beer. That meant that Roberts-Smith sat through months of civil testimony that often felt like a criminal trial.
“This trial, which has lasted over 100 days, has been called a great many things: the trial of the century, a proxy war crimes trial, and an attack on the freedom of the press,” Arthur Moses said. “It is none of these. It is a case which has been brought because the respondents chose to defame Mr. Roberts-Smith.”
Indonesia Berita Terbaru, Indonesia Berita utama
Similar News:Anda juga dapat membaca berita serupa dengan ini yang kami kumpulkan dari sumber berita lain.
Chinese barge suspected of looting World War II shipwrecks: 'Desecration' of war gravesMore than 800 sailors were killed when the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were torpedoed by Japanese aircraft — three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Baca lebih lajut »
Australian man pries crocodile’s jaws from his headMarcus McGowan was attacked while snorkeling off the Charles Hardy Islands.
Baca lebih lajut »
Australian CPI for April 6.8% vs. expected 6.4%, AUD pressuredAussie monthly Consumer Price Index (YoY) has been released as follows: Australian CPI for April 6.8% vs. expected 6.4%. AUD/USD update AUD/USD is und
Baca lebih lajut »
AUD/JPY surrenders quick gains and drops below 91.00 despite Australian Inflation soarsThe AUD/JPY pair has surrendered quick gains made after the release of the higher-than-anticipated monthly Australian Consumer Price Index (CPI). The
Baca lebih lajut »
Australian man pries crocodile’s jaws from his head while snorkeling“When you enter the marine environment, you are entering territory that belongs to potentially dangerous animals, such as sharks and crocodiles,” Marcus McGowan said.
Baca lebih lajut »
Forex Today: Australian Inflation Runs HotAustralia CPI Rises to 6.8%; Chinese Stocks Drag Down Equities; US Debt Deal Passes Congressional Committee; US Dollar Remains Strong; Preliminary German CPI
Baca lebih lajut »