The murder allegation could be the start of a lengthy string of trials, which is unlikely to ever reach the top brass
RT.com | 26 Mar, 2023 00:09
Earlier this week, an Australian soldier, Oliver Schulz, 41, was charged with murder by the Australian Federal Police in relation to the killing of a civilian in Afghanistan in 2012.
Schulz was remanded in custody and is due to appear in court again on May 16. His trial will probably commence later this year, and, if found guilty of murder, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Schulz was a member of the elite Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment – Australia’s shock troops that did most of the fighting in Afghanistan. He served multiple tours of duty, and was awarded the Commendation for Gallantry.
This is the first criminal prosecution brought as a result of investigations conducted by the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) – a body established in 2021 by the Australian government to determine if criminal charges should be brought in respect of possible war crimes that had been identified in the 2020 Brereton Report.
The Brereton inquiry found “credible evidence” that Australian soldiers may have murdered some 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2005 and 2016. Investigation head Paul Brereton recommended that any prosecutions for these crimes be brought in the civil courts, rather than before military tribunals, leading to the charging of Schulz this week.
The Brereton inquiry was established in response to reports by the ABC and Channel Nine alleging that Australian soldiers had committed numerous war crimes during the Afghanistan war.
