The World Events Thread

[Gurn]

Australian military officers to have medals taken away; due to war crimes by their subordinates

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/australian-military-commanders-stripped-of-medals-over-war-crimes/ar-AA1qqhSf?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=08af1b9dac3c41dc81226a5854af2dbd&ei=13

"

• Defence Minister Richard Marles announced changes 

Senior military officers who oversaw units of Australian troops accused of war crimes in Afghanistan will be stripped of their medals and citations.

Keeping the numbers purposefully vague, Defence Minister Richard Marles said fewer than 10 people lost medals and awards.

He previously sent letters to fewer than 15 people advising them about his decision on whether their honours were stripped. The senior officers were referred to him by a former defence force chief.

Mr Marles made the announcement during a speech detailing the government's response to a report into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan.

The Commonwealth had addressed the final recommendations within its remit, closing a significant chapter in Australia's military history, he told parliament on Thursday.

The investigation into Australian special forces found credible evidence of 39 murders of Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2005 and 2016.

Investigator Paul Brereton recommended reviewing the awards and decorations of those in command positions in the Special Air Service Regiment between 2008 and 2012.

Mr Marles used this recommendation to make his decision about command accountability.

This will always be a matter of national shame,' Mr Marles said.

'Service in our defence force has always been and always will be a deeply honourable calling - that we have held ourselves accountable in this moment allows Australia to continue to cherish this service, past and future.'

Appeal options are limited but can be assessed by a judicial review.

Criminal investigations remain afoot and one man has been charged with murder.

A compensation scheme has been set up for Afghan families of civilians killed or injured during Australian operations.

Of 143 recommendations in the Brereton report, 139 have been addressed.

The remaining four remain on hold pending investigations by a special investigator.

The minister's response does not include stripping the Victoria Cross - Australia's highest military honour - from Ben Roberts-Smith.

Mr Roberts-Smith was found by the Federal Court to have committed war crimes including murder during his time in Afghanistan.

The war veteran maintains his innocence and has appealed the ruling, which flowed from a failed defamation case against Nine Entertainment. 

[Canuck Surfer]

Better story for a change...

 

Thanks for taking a moment Jon!

 

 

[Gurn]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/german-warship-enters-taiwan-strait-despite-chinese-protests/ar-AA1qw5Ed?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=ba32ac153ec942f98f6ca1aac0d90cb1&ei=34

"

The German frigate Baden-Württemberg on Friday entered the strait between China and Taiwan, marking the first time in more than 20 years that a German military vessel has used the politically sensitive route.

The German task force supply ship Frankfurt am Main passed together with the warship into the Taiwan Strait, according to positional data on the internet.

Taiwan's Defence Ministry confirmed that one German naval frigate and one supply ship were sailing through the Taiwan Strait from north to south.

The Taiwanese military was closely monitoring the surrounding sea and airspace, and the situation remained normal, the ministry said.

China regards democratically governed Taiwan as a breakaway province, and the strait as Chinese - rather than international - waters.

Earlier on Friday, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the ship's route at a press conference in Berlin with his Lithuanian counterpart Laurynas Kasčiūnas, saying "it is international waters, so we are passing through."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing has reiterated its objection to what it calls provocations and threats damaging China's sovereignty and security under the guise of freedom of navigation.

Warships from other countries, such as the United States, have also passed through the strait in the past, prompting protests from Beijing.

[Ilunga]

On 9/12/2024 at 12:26 PM, Gurn said:

Australian military officers to have medals taken away; due to war crimes by their subordinates

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/australian-military-commanders-stripped-of-medals-over-war-crimes/ar-AA1qqhSf?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=08af1b9dac3c41dc81226a5854af2dbd&ei=13

"

• Defence Minister Richard Marles announced changes 

Senior military officers who oversaw units of Australian troops accused of war crimes in Afghanistan will be stripped of their medals and citations.

Keeping the numbers purposefully vague, Defence Minister Richard Marles said fewer than 10 people lost medals and awards.

He previously sent letters to fewer than 15 people advising them about his decision on whether their honours were stripped. The senior officers were referred to him by a former defence force chief.

Mr Marles made the announcement during a speech detailing the government's response to a report into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan.

The Commonwealth had addressed the final recommendations within its remit, closing a significant chapter in Australia's military history, he told parliament on Thursday.

The investigation into Australian special forces found credible evidence of 39 murders of Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2005 and 2016.

Investigator Paul Brereton recommended reviewing the awards and decorations of those in command positions in the Special Air Service Regiment between 2008 and 2012.

Mr Marles used this recommendation to make his decision about command accountability.

This will always be a matter of national shame,' Mr Marles said.

'Service in our defence force has always been and always will be a deeply honourable calling - that we have held ourselves accountable in this moment allows Australia to continue to cherish this service, past and future.'

Appeal options are limited but can be assessed by a judicial review.

Criminal investigations remain afoot and one man has been charged with murder.

A compensation scheme has been set up for Afghan families of civilians killed or injured during Australian operations.

Of 143 recommendations in the Brereton report, 139 have been addressed.

The remaining four remain on hold pending investigations by a special investigator.

The minister's response does not include stripping the Victoria Cross - Australia's highest military honour - from Ben Roberts-Smith.

Mr Roberts-Smith was found by the Federal Court to have committed war crimes including murder during his time in Afghanistan.

The war veteran maintains his innocence and has appealed the ruling, which flowed from a failed defamation case against Nine Entertainment. 

 

I haven't " reacted " to this post, there is no shame emoji.

That's what I feel as as person who lives in  Australia, shame about the actions of the SAS in Afghanistan. 

 

 

[Gurn]

5 minutes ago, Ilunga said:

 

I haven't " reacted " to this post, there is no shame emoji.

That's what I feel as as person who lives in  Australia, shame about the actions of the SAS in Afghanistan. 

 

 

Canada, has had bad apples, as well.

 

https://torontosun.com/news/national/look-back-25-years-since-scandal-led-to-airborne-regiment-being-disbanded

[Ilunga]

9 minutes ago, Gurn said:

Canada, has had bad apples, as well.

 

https://torontosun.com/news/national/look-back-25-years-since-scandal-led-to-airborne-regiment-being-disbanded

 

Yes I know about this. 

 

When you do some research on these sort of Units in military forces in many countries, you find this sort of " culture ".

 

There is the story of the navy seal Eddie Gallagher. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/reader-center/navy-seal-war-crimes-investigation.html

 

Sure there were guys who reported him to superiors, but those superiors tried to cover up his actions. 

 

 

 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

1 hour ago, Gurn said:

 

...

Edited Saturday at 06:08 AM by NewbieCanuckFan

[the destroyer of worlds]

The Titan sub tail cone.  Was only attached to the pressure hull an thus wasn't destroyed when the pressure hull imploded.

[nuckin_futz]

There is a rape trial going on right now that has captivated France the details of which are truly bizarre. Husband of 40 years decides to drug/incapacitate his wife and invite strange men over to assault her over a period of 10 years. She has waived her right to privacy in order to fight against sexual violence.

 

Husband accused of horrifying mass rape of wife tells French trial: ‘I’m a rapist like all the others here’

Dominique Pelicot, 71, was speaking for the first time at his trial where he is accused of drugging his wife, Gisele, and allowing strangers to rape her.

 

A French husband accused of drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her over a decade has declared in court: “I am a rapist, like everyone else in this courtroom.”

 

Dominique Pelicot, 71, spoke for the first time during his trial, saying: “I recognise the facts in their totality.” He faces charges including rape and gang rape of his now ex-wife Gisele Pelicot, as well as various privacy breaches by recording and disseminating sexual images.

 

He is on trial alongside 50 other men. Fourteen of the other defendants have also admitted rape, while the rest deny any wrongdoing.

 

“They all knew, they cannot say the contrary,” he said of the co-defendants in the trial.

 

The grandfather appeared in the dock at the Vaucluse Criminal Court, in Avignon, following a week of ill health that delayed his testimony. He appeared with a cane.

Ms Pelicot insisted on a public trial to expose him and the other men accused of raping her and to shed a light on sexual violence, her lawyers have said.

 

To many, she has become a symbol of the struggle against sexual violence in France. On Saturday hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered in cities across the country to demonstrate support for her.

 

In a dramatic scene in court on Tuesday, Ms Pelicot was given permission to react immediately to her husband’s confession, saying: “For me, it is difficult to hear it.

“For 50 years, I lived with a man who I would never have imagined for a single second that he could do these acts. I had complete confidence in this man.”

 

Gisele Pelicot said she had ‘never imagined for a single second’ that her husband could commit such acts (AP)

 

Wearing a thick grey shirt, Pelicot owned up to crimes that had seen his own daughter describe him on the stand as “one of the greatest sexual predators” of recent years.

 

He said: “Today, I maintain that, with the obligations we all have, I am a rapist, like everyone in this room. They cannot say otherwise.”

Offering further mitigation, he said: “I am accused of many things. We are not born perverts, we become them. Even if it is paradoxical, I have never considered my wife as an object.”

 

He added: “I am guilty of what I did. I subjected my wife, my children, my grandchildren to this. I regret what I did. I ask for forgiveness even if it is not forgivable.” He later told the court of his former wife: “I loved her well for 40 years and loved her badly for 10 years ... I ruined everything, I lost everything. I should never have done that.”

 

Pelicot also focused on alleged crimes he said he had suffered as a child, saying he was raped as a nine-year-old, and then forced to witness another sex attack when he was 14. “I remember nothing from my youth but shocks and traumas,” he said.

 

Gisele was given permission to react immediately to her husband’s confession, saying ‘For me, it is difficult to hear it’ (EPA)

 

He told the court how his life changed when he met his wife as a teenager.

 

“I was very happy with her,” he said. “She was the opposite of my mother, who was completely rebellious. We had three children, and grandchildren, whom I never touched.”

 

He said his wife “did not deserve this”.

 

At the end of her short statement, Ms Pelicot lowered her head, putting her sunglasses on.

 

Pelicot has been on remand since 2020 when he was first arrested on suspicion of drugging and then raping Ms Pelicot, while inviting men he contacted online to do the same.

 

Last week, psychologists described him as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character who appeared like a normal husband during the day, and then drugged his wife so strangers could rape her at night.

 

His daughter, Caroline Darian, 46, last week told the court that he was “one of the greatest sexual predators” of recent years.

 

She accused him of secretly photographing her in the nude, along with her two sisters-in-law. This was at the same family home in Mazan, some 20 miles from Avignon, to which Pelicot had invited the alleged rapists.

 

On the stand Pelicot claimed he also “still loves” his three adult children, saying: “They are in my heart.”

 

Pelicot was first arrested in September 2020 for allegedly secretly filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras (Reuters)

 

Pelicot was first arrested in September 2020 for allegedly secretly filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras. His devices were searched, and there were hundreds of pornographic videos and photos of women, the court heard.

 

A hard drive, hidden under a printer, contained a file called “Abuses”, authorities have said. It classified the nickname and telephone numbers of attackers, together with some 3,800 photos and videos of Ms Pelicot being raped, between 2011 and 2020. Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified.

 

Pelicot’s alleged sex ring involved advertising on a site for “partners” on an online forum. Of the 83 men involved, 51 aged between 26 and 73 were identified and arrested by the police.

 

In a separate case, Pelicot has been charged with raping and murdering a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris in 1991. He has also admitted to one attempted rape in 1999 after DNA testing proved a case against him.

 

The Avignon aggravated rape case is due to last until 21 December.

Edited Tuesday at 07:41 PM by nuckin_futz