UN: Australia must pay compensation to victims of war crimes in Afghanistan

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): "I call on Australia to immediately fulfill its duty to compensate the families of 39 victims of war crimes committed by Australian military forces in Afghanistan," he wrote on X-International Service.

 

"Australia has an obligation under international human rights law and international humanitarian law to compensate victims of extrajudicial killings and torture," the UN Human Rights Council said in a statement.

 

A 2020 military study found that Australian soldiers killed 39 unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan and some victims were tortured before being killed, the statement said.

 

Australian media reported earlier that the government had issued a regulation on September 28 that would allow Defense Minister David Johnston to refer cases of "war crimes by Australian forces in Afghanistan" to the Afghan government. If the government of this country refers, a lawyer will assess the payment of compensation.

 

According to the reports, compensation will be paid by the Australian government if a claim of "war crime" by Australian forces is made by a person whose family member was the victim of an attack or suffered financial losses.

 

The Australian government regulation also states that the claimant must not be a member of a "terrorist" organisation.

 

Under the regulation, the claim will be reviewed by the Australian Minister of Defense, who will ultimately decide whether to pay compensation to the victim.