Army whistleblower who exposed alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan is sentenced to prison

I had similar thoughts as here, quoting from above: “It is a stain on Australia’s reputation that some of its soldiers have been accused of war crimes in Afghanistan, and yet the first person convicted in relation to these crimes is a whistleblower not the abusers,” Gavshon said in a statement.

Beware the Man

This is the most reactionary part of the web I know of. lol

Whistleblowers need protection, not prison.

“David McBride’s jail sentence reinforces that whistleblowers are not protected by Australian law. It will create a chilling effect on those taking risks to push for transparency and accountability – cornerstones of democracy,” she added.

Exactly right. Whistle blowing is a necessary part of democracy: without it, those in high places that break the law may never be held to account.

I hope this case produces legal changes to protect such people, and that McBride is released as soon as possible.

A bunch of psychopaths somewhere they should not have been. What could go wrong?

Special operators are rightfully expected to maintain higher standards than the average foot soldier but what we're seeing in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US are several units operating with impunity, committing atrocities thinking that they will be protected and immune from prosecution. The whistleblowers should be revered not condemned. What a travesty.

""I’ve never been so proud to be an Australian as today. I may have broken the law, but I did not break my oath to the people of Australia and the soldiers that keep us safe,” McBride told the cheering crowd.""

AMEN, Locking up a whistleblower marks the beginning of the end to any Democracy regardless of how he or she obtains their information, there are laws protecting their right that should never be altered.

I thought the difference between democracy and communism was that under communism, you couldn't criticise the government or its actions in any way. How is that different here? Australian military commit war crimes, McBride exposes them and is sent to prison.

Where is the logic in that?

Likewise Assange exposed hideous atrocities committed by US military in Afghanistan and has been imprisoned ever since.

If we just sit back and allow this to happen, we may as well be communist.

These days you get punished for doing the right things. I guess that is the negative reward for good deeds. Its usually see something say something, now I understand why most people now day keep going when someone actually needs help.

Remember: blow your whistle via VPN.

If McBride didn't use the whistleblower mechanism within the military at all and instead chose unilaterally to release classified information to the media, he's not a whistleblower, he's a criminal. The ends don't justify the means.

BertieWoosterToday 07:47 pm JST

I thought the difference between democracy and communism was that under communism, you couldn't criticise the government or its actions in any way. How is that different here?

The "in any way" part.

In a democracy, there are lots of ways to criticize and challenge the government; under communism, there are essentially none.

It’s disgusting to jail a whistleblower. What a barbaric decision.

BertieWoosterToday 07:47 pm JST

I thought the difference between democracy and communism was that under communism, you couldn't criticise the government or its actions in any way. How is that different here? Australian military commit war crimes, McBride exposes them and is sent to prison.

Where is the logic in that?

Likewise Assange exposed hideous atrocities committed by US military in Afghanistan and has been imprisoned ever since.

If we just sit back and allow this to happen, we may as well be communist.

You do realize there is a difference between being someone shouting on the street and being someone entrusted with a security clearance or a hacker, right?

Delusional white knight released classified documents. That isn't how whistleblowing works

Trump.can he a felon as early as the weekend,the prosecutor will rest their case as early as Thursday,forcing Trump to testify or the case will be headed to the jury for a verdict of guilty

USNinJapan2

If McBride didn't use the whistleblower mechanism within the military at all 

Because if he did, it would never had seen light of day...

On no planet in the universe should the needs of the military transcend morality, which obviously includes killing innocents. And these "elite" soldiers must always be reminded of that. They are elite soldiers but it doesn't mean they have elite minds, except for self- and comrade-preservation. Keep them to the niche they are required in but never let them police themselves.

When someone in the military causes a commotion, the two standard reactions are either 1.) court martial him, or, 2.) give him a medal.

If the person who revealed the actions of the Australian military in Afghanistan had been a well known general, he probably would have been given a medal and a promotion. Those in the lower ranks are usually not so lucky.

202hindsights

Because if he did, it would never had seen light of day...

That's an unfounded assumption and not a valid argument for breaking the laws and regulations that applied to McBride when he broke them. McBride (and you) will never know if the ADF would have done the right thing had it been brought to their attention.