The proceedings against The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald are scheduled to resume next year after a six-month pause owing to coronavirus restrictions.
The historians won’t see the unredacted report of the Brereton war crimes inquiry until the public sees it,which could be as long as seven years away.
“The general mood[among high-ranking defence officers] is that it has been squibbed,” said one senior officer engaged with the Afghanistan inquiry reform process.
Previously unreported investigations into a former SAS soldier might have been compromised because police obtained information they may be prohibited from using.
The former top judge and prosecutor will need every ounce of his renowned legal acuity if he is to successfully investigate Australian special forces soldiers.
A Seven West Media director says a report he commissioned from a Walkley-award winning journalist into war crime allegations was legally privileged and should not be produced in court.
The former special forces soldier has accused his ex-wife of leaking confidential information to the lawyers who are defending Nine newspapers against his defamation claim.
Friday was meant to mark the end of the controversial 2 Squadron of the SAS. Now,citing COVID,the brass has delayed the ceremony.
Soldier X confessed to murder. Now,in a concerted media campaign to obscure evidence of war crimes,even testimony like his is at risk of being obscured by half-truths,lies and spin.
The collapse of the Afghan government means an elite team of state and federal police homicide detectives will now struggle to interview Afghan witnesses to alleged Australian crimes.
Defence will make a preliminary decision about whether to strip medals from soldiers who committed serious wrongdoing and compensate Afghan victims by the end of 2021.