David McBride, a courageous whistleblower, was released from prison in Canberra on Thursday. McBride had been behind bars for 27 months, not for any wrongdoing, but for having helped to expose war crimes, including murders, committed by Australian special forces during the US-led neo-colonial occupation of Afghanistan.
McBride’s release is welcome news, not only for his family, friends and supporters, but also for all defenders of democratic rights and opponents of imperialist war. It does not, however, mark any let-up in the assault on anti-war sentiment generally or in the persecution of whistleblowers in particular, being spearheaded by the federal Labor government.
McBride was released on parole, having served the full non-parole term of his sentence. He will potentially remain under various forms of state supervision for years, given that his full sentence was five years and eight months, the longest possible for the charges.
The bogus convictions remain, as do the extremely draconian circumstances of McBride’s trial, which set a precedent for future whistleblower prosecutions.
In comments to the media after his release, McBride emphasised the breadth of the support he had received, including from ordinary people around the world. He also revealed that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer, though he reported that it is treatable and he is due to have an operation in the coming weeks.
McBride’s parole was approved by the Labor government’s Attorney-General Michelle...
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