Only Australian The soldier should be charged with war crime Afghanistan On Friday, requested not to be guilty, but an prosecutor said he was unlikely to prosecute before 2027.
Oliver Shulz, 44, is accused of shooting Dad Mohammed, a three -time Afghan man Dad Mohammad in the Urujgan province wheat ground in May 2012.
Shulz made in his first presence new South Wales State Supreme Court In Sydney Requested not to be guilty of the murder war crime on Friday.
The date of a test will usually be determined on such appearance, but national security concerns have stopped the prosecutors and defense lawyers from watching a lot of evidence against former Special Air Service Regiment Elite Soldier.
Prosecutor Sean Flood told Justice Peter Hamil, “There is no realistic possibility of a test in 2026.”
Shulz’s lawyer Philip Bolton agreed.
“I understand the importance of obtaining a test date in a general case,” said Bolton. “This is not a normal case.”
Shulz will appear in court again on December 12, by that time the Defense Department told the trial lawyers what information would be suppressed due to national security reasons.
An Australian military report released in 2020 recommended 19 current and ex -servicemen faced more criminal investigation from 39 illegal killings in Afghanistan. Shulz was accused in March 2023.
An Australian civilian court found that the country’s most decorated veteran, Ben Roberts-Smith, illegally killed four unarmed Afghans under the control of Australian soldiers between 2009 and 2012.
The court rejected the claim of Roberts-Smiths that he was defamed by the news media in which he was accused of war crimes. But Roberts-Smith has not been criminally charged with any crime, which will need to be proved to the high legal standard beyond the appropriate doubt.
The only Australian veteran whistbloor David McBrid has been convicted on allegations of war crime in Afghanistan. The former army lawyer was sentenced to five years and eight months in jail last year, convicted the media for leaking allegations of war crimes.
The classified documents provided by MCBride became the source of a series of Australian broadcasting corp reports in 2017, called “Afghan files”. The report features detailed allegations against Australian soldiers, including illegal murder of men and children.