23:42
In the lead-up to the report’s release, the president of the Law Council of Australia, Pauline Wright, backed calls for the Australian government to set up a redress scheme for victims or their families, but emphasised the need for the claims to first be tested in court.
Wright told the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday that if the investigations resulted in convictions it was “incumbent upon our government to have some kind of compensation scheme”.
She called on the government to set up an investigation process that was “thorough and fair, not only for the victims of the alleged war crimes but also for the people accused”.
“Justice delayed is justice denied and if people are being accused of war crimes, which is a very serious thing to be hanging over one’s head, the obligation of a government to ensure that that process is dealt with in a timely way has to be foremost,” Wright said.
Victims’ families also wanted their complaints to be investigated promptly and thoroughly, “otherwise that sense of injustice hangs over those people”.
23:38
Morrison expresses ‘deepest sorrow’ to president of Afghanistan
Updated
22:50
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