David McBride goes on trial for blowing the whistle
In November 2023, David McBride went on trial for blowing the whistle on war crimes in Afghanistan.
David McBride sought to expose grave wrongdoing committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, leaking documents to the ABC that led to the landmark ‘Afghan Files’ reporting.
Thanks to David, we knew about credible allegations of war crimes – years before the Brereton Report vindicated the ABC’s reporting. There was a clear public interest in David’s whistleblowing. But now, in the Supreme Court in Canberra, David is on trial – the first person to face a jury in relation to war crimes in Afghanistan. The whistleblower, not a war criminal.
For years, the Human Rights Law Centre has advocated for an end to the prosecution of whistleblowers and for urgent law reform to ensure Australia’s truth-tellers are protected, not punished. We have worked closely with civil society partners to call out the injustice of putting the truth on trial.
We are profoundly disappointed that this case has gone ahead and our calls for the Albanese Government to intervene have not been heeded. But we will continue fighting for Australia’s whistleblowers, because whistleblowers like David make this country a better place. They should be protected, not prosecuted.
Why we need stronger whistleblower protections
In March, Associate Legal Director, Kieran Pender was at the ACT Court of Appeal to observe McBride’s appeal – he is challenging his conviction, and the severity of his sentence.
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Acknowledgement of Country
The Human Rights Law Centre acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia, including the lands of the Wurundjeri, Boon Wurrung, Gadigal, Ngunnawal, Darug and Wadawurrung people where we work from.
We pay our respect to Elders past and present. This land always was, and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
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