ShortForBob
Super Anarchist
I think this is timely.
Show the world and particularly Russia that there are still rules of war.
www.abc.net.au
A decorated former SAS soldier shown in a Four Corners story shooting an Afghan man in a wheat field has become the first Australian serviceman or veteran to be charged with a war crime under Australian law.
Former trooper Oliver Schulz, 41, was arrested by the Australian Federal Police at Jindabyne in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains this morning, after a years-long investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the AFP said it would be alleged he murdered an Afghan man while deployed to Afghanistan with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Mr Schulz has been charged with the war crime of murder under the Commonwealth Criminal Code.
His case was mentioned in Queanbeyan Local Court this afternoon, where his solicitor made no application for bail. He has been remanded in custody to appear at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on May 16.
His charge, the ABC understands, relates to the shooting death of Afghan man Dad Mohammad during an ADF raid in May 2012 in Uruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan.
That killing was revealed in March 2020 by the ABC's Four Corners program, which broadcast footage showing Mr Schulz shooting Mr Mohammad while the Afghan man lay on the ground.
If found guilty, Mr Schulz could face life in prison.
"It's unprecedented," said University of Tasmania law professor Tim McCormack, a special adviser on war crimes to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
"We've never had a situation in the past where a member of the ADF, either current or former, has been charged with a war crime and slated for trial in a civilian court.
"I suspect that this will be an important precedent for the British, for the Canadians, for the New Zealanders and, hopefully, for other state parties [to the ICC]."
Show the world and particularly Russia that there are still rules of war.
Australian SAS veteran charged with war crime in historic first
Police charge a decorated former SAS soldier who was shown in a Four Corners program shooting an Afghan man in a wheat field. He is the first Australian serviceman or veteran to be charged with a war crime under Australian law.
www.abc.net.au
A decorated former SAS soldier shown in a Four Corners story shooting an Afghan man in a wheat field has become the first Australian serviceman or veteran to be charged with a war crime under Australian law.
Key points:
- Oliver Schulz, 41, completed several tours of Afghanistan
- Australian Federal Police arrested the former SAS soldier at Jindabyne, NSW, this morning
- He has been charged over a 2012 killing during a raid in southern Afghanistan
Former trooper Oliver Schulz, 41, was arrested by the Australian Federal Police at Jindabyne in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains this morning, after a years-long investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the AFP said it would be alleged he murdered an Afghan man while deployed to Afghanistan with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Mr Schulz has been charged with the war crime of murder under the Commonwealth Criminal Code.
His case was mentioned in Queanbeyan Local Court this afternoon, where his solicitor made no application for bail. He has been remanded in custody to appear at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on May 16.
His charge, the ABC understands, relates to the shooting death of Afghan man Dad Mohammad during an ADF raid in May 2012 in Uruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan.
That killing was revealed in March 2020 by the ABC's Four Corners program, which broadcast footage showing Mr Schulz shooting Mr Mohammad while the Afghan man lay on the ground.
If found guilty, Mr Schulz could face life in prison.
Case could set international precedent, legal expert says
His arrest marks a historic shift in the response to suspected military wrongdoing, both in Australia and among Western allies, who have avoided holding war crimes trials in civilian courts, according to international law experts."It's unprecedented," said University of Tasmania law professor Tim McCormack, a special adviser on war crimes to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
"We've never had a situation in the past where a member of the ADF, either current or former, has been charged with a war crime and slated for trial in a civilian court.
"I suspect that this will be an important precedent for the British, for the Canadians, for the New Zealanders and, hopefully, for other state parties [to the ICC]."
