Australian media have reported that a censored version of a war crimes investigation report involving Australian forces in Afghanistan is set to be displayed at the country’s war memorial in Canberra.
The NDaily reported on Friday, May 1, that the gallery is scheduled to officially open in June.
According to the report, this move is part of efforts to reflect the more controversial aspects of Australia’s military presence in Afghanistan.
The report, known as the “Brereton Report,” will be displayed as part of a 500-million-dollar redevelopment project of the museum, within a gallery featuring around 1,200 Afghanistan-related exhibits.
The Brereton Report, released in late 2020, presented credible evidence that Australian Special Forces killed 39 Afghan civilians and detainees across 23 separate incidents.
One redacted incident was described in the report as “possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia’s military history”.
Matt Anderson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, said in a television documentary that the Afghanistan gallery will include the more “difficult elements” of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan.
He emphasized that the Australian memorial must acknowledge the facts of the Brereton report.
According to him, the exhibition aims to help visitors better understand the nature of Australia’s 20-year mission in Afghanistan, while also recognizing the service of military personnel.
Meanwhile, the name of former soldier and highest Australian military honour recipient Ben Roberts-Smith has also been mentioned in the case.
He has been accused of involvement in five killings during his deployment in Afghanistan, but denies the allegations, and his case is still under judicial review.
The Afghanistan gallery is the last to be completed of the renovated Anzac Hall and does not include the altered display of Roberts-Smith following his arrest over alleged war crimes.
