“I supported the war from day one, but Afghanistan scares the hell out of me.” – Kevin Rudd, 6 Jan 2008.
Prime Minister of Australia speaking to
United States Congressional delegation led by
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Date: 2008 January 7, 06:05 (Monday)
Canonical ID: 08CANBERRA8_a
Wikileaks
Welcome to the Paradigm Shift on FM 102.1 4ZZZ Fridays at noon. We challenge the assumptions of our current society, to resist oppression … December 11, 2020.
With Julian Assange still facing extradition, this week we talk about secrecy and the Iraq war. Ian interviews Kasun Ubayasiri about significance of the campaign to free Assange.
We hear from Ethan McCord who was a soldier on the ground when the shooting depicted in the “Collateral Murder” video occurred. Ian also spoke to a psychologist about the ethics of secrecy and privacy when war crimes have been committed.
Notes of the war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Iraq
Two weeks ago (Sept 2010), I visited survivors of an Iraqi family who were shot on the streets of Baghdad by two drunken Australian soldiers.
Mother and son have horrible injuries to their faces. The father is traumatised, his life a painful agony.
He complains of his mind being ‘busy all the time, day and night‘.
And Western commentators talk of 9/11.
Only now, after 7 years of murder and terror, do we see on Australian TV acts of terror committed by American and British soldiers. But the ABC’s 4 Corners program ‘Secret Iraq – Insurgency’ broadcast last night (on 11/10/2010) still leaves out acts of terror like these committed by Australian soldiers sent there by the Australian government. Both Coalition and Labor are aware of these war crimes. They even glorify the job done by ‘our diggers‘.
Why?
One of the soldiers who shot this family without reason is based at Enoggera Army barracks in Brisbane, Australia. As you know, the truth is individual soldiers from our country, our town were involved in murderous deeds in Iraq.
Let the record be truthful.
The family told me that they had been interviewed by Channel 7 about their being shot while parked in their family car in Baghdad. The oldest girl in the family, still at school and who did most of the translating from Arabic to English told me that ‘the family realises now that it (speaking to the media) doesn’t work’. Why can’t people learn from this girl, from her experiences at the hands of Australian soldiers?
The girl said that she wore a scarf to school here in Brisbane until her friend who also wore a scarf was abused by fellow students.
Her father counselled her that it might be best to stop wearing the scarf. She said that after two years at school she knows her father’s advice was right.
‘Australians are racist‘ said her younger brother with one eye that cannot look straight because of a bullet wound inflicted by the drunken soldier who is now based at Enoggera army barracks.
Why weren’t these war crimes investigated by Mr Justice Brereton inquiry murders committed by Australian troops? Why did the government set the terms of reference of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry so that it included war crime in Iraq?
Ian Curr
October 2020
References
Army ‘paid Iraqi victims cash’
Australia pays $216,000 to injured Iraqis
About the time Sarah Palin was a US Republican presidential nominee and John McCain’s running mate for the 2008 election she called for Assange to be hunted down like Bin Laden:
‘Assange is not a “journalist,” any more than the “editor” of al Qaeda’s new English-language magazine ‘Inspire’ is a “journalist.”
‘He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands.
‘His past posting of classified documents revealed the identity of more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban.
‘Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?‘ – By Daily Mail Reporter, 2 December 2010.
Now that she has little power or credibility Palin has called for Assange to be ‘pardoned’.
For what, may I ask?
https://youtu.be/0h-KLfmgRwk
Meanwhile someone with power, President Elect Biden has called Assange ‘a high tech terrorist‘. Which is it to be?
They can’t both be right.
https://youtu.be/nF8WRFw5sHQ
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Friday, December 20 to testify on espionage claims during his exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy.
The legal system delivers some crazy outcomes. Reluctantly the UK legal system allowed Julian Assange to testify remotely before Spanish Judge Jose de la Mata. The Spanish judge is overseeing an investigation into surveillance activities of UC Global, a Spanish security firm accused of recording the WikiLeaks founder during his exile and passing the material on to the United States’ intelligence services.
Director of UC Global David Morales had been detained in August and has since been released on bail.
Julian Assange’s conversations, including legally privileged meetings with Australian lawyers Geoffrey Robertson, Jennifer Robinson and Melinda Taylor, were secretly recorded inside his London embassy home.
Assange’s defence team filed a criminal complaint against Morales, accusing his company of privacy offences as well as violation of attorney-client privilege.
https://youtu.be/siigAameuGg
On international human rights day (10 Dec 2020) a group of anti-war activists joined together in Bunyapa Park in West End in Brisbane in a call for the Australian Government to intervene in the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States. His father John Shipton had this to say. [Thanks to Lachlan Hurse from Jumping Fences for the video].
https://youtu.be/cerK_BZJI80