Australian veteran loses appeal over war crimes defamation case

Australian war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith lost an appeal Friday against a landmark decision that found he committed war crimes in Afghanistan, according to local media reports.

The federal court justices upheld the original verdict and ordered Roberts-Smith to pay the legal costs of the media outlets he sued for defamation, which were estimated to be upwards of AUD$25 million ($16 million), ABC News reported.

In 2023, a local court in Australia dismissed Roberts-Smith's case against media organizations and three journalists over their coverage of the war crimes in Afghanistan.

The defamation case was dismissed after Judge Anthony Besanko found that the newspapers had "proven several of the key allegations" of war crimes, including that Roberts-Smith was involved in the killing of multiple unarmed Afghan civilians.

In June 2023, an Australian Federal Court ruled that Roberts-Smith was responsible for four murders during his deployment to Afghanistan.

He has denied any wrongdoing.

A series of stories was published in 2018 and a case was filed in federal court by Roberts-Smith, who is a recipient of the Victoria Cross-the highest award for gallantry in battle that can be awarded to a member of the Australian armed forces.

The media stories suggested the veteran soldier committed war crimes in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.