Demonstrators gather outside court in support of David McBride, who will learn his fate after pleading guilty to leaking classified information revealing alleged Australian war crimes.
McBride will be sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court today after pleading guilty to three offences, including stealing community information and passing it on to journalists.
He claims he did his duty and has no regrets about bringing the wrongdoing to light.
“I’ve never been more proud to be Australian, I’ve never been more proud of my family and my supporters,” he told the court today.
Asked how he would like to be seen, he told reporters: “As someone who stands up for Australian values.”
He also called on the attorney general to end prosecutions as the government overhauled whistleblowing laws.
“Stop talking about doing the right thing and do the right thing,” he said.
The leaked documents led to reports of Australian special forces soldiers committing alleged war crimes.
An investigation later found credible information about 23 cases of potential war crimes, which included the killing of 39 Afghans between 2005 and 2016.
Bernard Colleri, whose prosecution for leaking classified information was stayed by the attorney general, said the sentence would have a chilling effect on people seeking to expose wrongdoing.
“Laws have been passed that have made the courts subservient to anti-terror laws being abused against the people of Australia,” he told AAP outside court.
“I have had this dark experience myself.”
A Canberra lawyer has faced charges after being accused of leaking classified information about an alleged Australian spy operation in East Timor.
“Whistleblowing has become detrimental, if you have to resort to whistleblowing now, you will be ruined. These laws really, really need to be fixed.”
The sentencing is expected to take two days.
