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The original was posted on /r/worldnews by /u/glasier on 2024-05-14 06:00:24+00:00.
David McBride: Australian army whistleblower jailed for leaking documents
Submitted 2 years ago by bot@lemmit.online [bot] to worldnews@lemmit.online
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-69006714
autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] 2 years ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A whistleblower who helped expose allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan has been sentenced to five years and eight months in jail.David McBride pleaded guilty to stealing and sharing military secrets on the eve of his trial last year, after legal rulings sunk his defence.An ex-military lawyer, McBride said he felt a moral duty to speak up.A landmark inquiry later found evidence that Australian forces had unlawfully killed 39 Afghans during the war.McBride’s case has sparked uproar in Australia, putting a spotlight on what some say are flimsy whistleblower protections and slow progress towards prosecuting soldiers alleged to have killed with impunity under its flag.
“I did not break my oath to the people of Australia and the soldiers that keep us safe,” he said on Tuesday ahead of his sentencing, addressing a crowd of supporters which included relatives of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and fellow whistleblower Jeff Morris.
Even before he became one of Australia’s most high-profile whistleblowers, McBride led a colourful life.After graduating from Oxford University with a law degree, he started his career with a stint in the British army.
Leaving after reaching the rank of captain, he then tried his hand at everything from private security to reality TV and politics, before coming full circle and joining the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
It was then that he began to form the impression that “a line had been crossed” by commanders.Over the next few years, and while suffering from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and abusing drugs and alcohol, McBride said he became more and more convinced he needed to speak up.Working late into the night at an army base near Canberra, he started covertly copying hundreds of sensitive documents, smuggling them home in a backpack over 18 months.He tried an internal complaint first.
There officers found four plastic tubs filled with classified documents stashed in a cupboard.After a year in hiding, McBride returned to Australia and was charged with stealing Commonwealth property, breaching the Defence Act and disclosing confidential information.Police also started building a case against Mr Oakes and his producer Sam Clarke.
The original article contains 862 words, the summary contains 348 words. Saved 60%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!