Top Australian military officers have been referred to the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) over their leadership during the Afghan war campaign after allegations that Australian soldiers committed war crimes.
Speaking in the Australian Senate on June 20, Tasmanian Senator Jacquie Lambie said that there was a culture of covering up incidents that went right to the top and that she had filed an Article 15 communication with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in the Hague. The communication asked the Prosecutor to look into the commanders of the Afghan campaign through the lens of command responsibility.
Article 15 of the Rome Statute allows any individual, group, or organization to send information on alleged or potential ICC crimes to the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the ICC. The prosecutor then determines if the situation meets the legal criteria for prosecution. …