Judge Jails Australia War Crimes Whistleblower In 'Shameful' Attack On Press Freedom

A supreme court judge sentenced military whistleblower David McBride to five years and eight months in prison

David McBride (Screen shot from Progressive International)

In Australia, a supreme court judge sentenced military whistleblower David McBride to five years and eight months in prison for disclosing classified information that exposed war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. 

The Media, Entertainment, and Arts Alliance (MEAA), an Australian union that represents journalists, actors, and various creative professionals, called the sentence “shameful” and contended that it showed the “need for urgent reforms to protect whistleblowers from prosecution.”  

“This reporting was clearly in the public interest, but the punishment given today is far in excess of any perceived wrongdoing,” declared MEAA Media Director Michelle Rae. “The prosecution has never proven that the disclosures have had any detrimental impact on Australia’s national security or its security relationships with other countries.” 

“Without whistleblowers working with journalists, corruption and wrongdoing is allowed to flourish,” Rae added.

Read the full article at The Dissenter