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Former veterans minister and ex-officer Johnny Mercer is facing potential imprisonment for refusing to disclose names of soldiers who allegedly told him about unlawful killings and cover-ups by UK special forces during the Afghanistan War, The Afghanistan Inquiry has said.
In a ruling released on Thursday, Judge Haddon-Cave, Chair of the Inquiry notes in his final observations that “[t]he Applicant submits that he is a protector of whistle-blowers. He chose publicly, however, to disclose that friends told him about allegations of unlawful killings by [United Kingdom Special Forces] in Afghanistan”. Haddon-Cove continued: “ntegrity requires moral courage to do what is right, even when it may not be popular”
Despite the pressure, Mr. Mercer remains resolute in his decision not to reveal the identities of the officers who confided in him about the alleged murders. The former minister, who lost his seat in Plymouth last week, has consistently refused to comply with orders to disclose these names to the Afghanistan Inquiry, which is chaired by Sir Charles Haddon-Cave.
Mr. Mercer initially brought these claims forward in February, emphasizing his commitment to protecting the identities of the officers who approached him. In March this year, the former MP was ordered to provide evidence in a public inquiry regarding war crimes allegations in Afghanistan under Section 21 notice under the Inquiries Act 2005.
In response, Mr. Mercer criticized the inquiry’s approach, stating:
He further accused the courts and the inquiry team of misjudging the situation, with severe consequences for serving personnel and veterans. Mr. Mercer expressed frustration over finding out his fate through the press rather than being informed privately by the inquiry team. Previously the inquiry stated that failure to comply with the inquiry was “a criminal offense punishable with imprisonment and/or a fine”.
In a previous ruling, Sir Charles had warned that failure to comply with the order without a reasonable excuse would be considered a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment or a fine. Despite submitting an application in April citing his inability or unreasonableness to comply.
The Afghanistan Inquiry spokeswoman emphasized the importance of Mr. Mercer’s cooperation, stating, “Mr. Mercer is refusing to disclose information which may be important to a public inquiry which is seeking to establish the truth about grave allegations of multiple murders involving UK Special Forces.”
She added that the inquiry has secure measures to protect the identities of confidential contacts and that witnesses are safeguarded from prosecution for breaches of the Official Secrets Act or failure to report misconduct.
The Afghanistan Inquiry was established on December 15th, 2022, with the Government established an independent statutory inquiry to investigate matters arising from the deployment of British Special Forces to Afghanistan between mid-2010 and mid-2013 under the Inquiries Act 2005, with Afghan families having alleged that UK special forces engaged in a “campaign of murder”, against civilians, the inquiry heard, and that senior military personnel attempted to prevent adequate investigations.
Sir Charles has ordered Mr. Mercer to provide the names by 4 pm on the 25th of July.
The post Former UK veterans minister faces jail for withholding names in Afghanistan war crimes inquiry appeared first on JURIST - News.
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In a ruling released on Thursday, Judge Haddon-Cave, Chair of the Inquiry notes in his final observations that “[t]he Applicant submits that he is a protector of whistle-blowers. He chose publicly, however, to disclose that friends told him about allegations of unlawful killings by [United Kingdom Special Forces] in Afghanistan”. Haddon-Cove continued: “ntegrity requires moral courage to do what is right, even when it may not be popular”
Despite the pressure, Mr. Mercer remains resolute in his decision not to reveal the identities of the officers who confided in him about the alleged murders. The former minister, who lost his seat in Plymouth last week, has consistently refused to comply with orders to disclose these names to the Afghanistan Inquiry, which is chaired by Sir Charles Haddon-Cave.
Mr. Mercer initially brought these claims forward in February, emphasizing his commitment to protecting the identities of the officers who approached him. In March this year, the former MP was ordered to provide evidence in a public inquiry regarding war crimes allegations in Afghanistan under Section 21 notice under the Inquiries Act 2005.
In response, Mr. Mercer criticized the inquiry’s approach, stating:
He concludes his letter by saying: “Mr. Haddon-Cave must now stop fixating on attempting to bully me – I have done nothing wrong. I gave my word to junior personnel who approached me. I intend to keep it.”
He further accused the courts and the inquiry team of misjudging the situation, with severe consequences for serving personnel and veterans. Mr. Mercer expressed frustration over finding out his fate through the press rather than being informed privately by the inquiry team. Previously the inquiry stated that failure to comply with the inquiry was “a criminal offense punishable with imprisonment and/or a fine”.
In a previous ruling, Sir Charles had warned that failure to comply with the order without a reasonable excuse would be considered a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment or a fine. Despite submitting an application in April citing his inability or unreasonableness to comply.
The Afghanistan Inquiry spokeswoman emphasized the importance of Mr. Mercer’s cooperation, stating, “Mr. Mercer is refusing to disclose information which may be important to a public inquiry which is seeking to establish the truth about grave allegations of multiple murders involving UK Special Forces.”
She added that the inquiry has secure measures to protect the identities of confidential contacts and that witnesses are safeguarded from prosecution for breaches of the Official Secrets Act or failure to report misconduct.
The Afghanistan Inquiry was established on December 15th, 2022, with the Government established an independent statutory inquiry to investigate matters arising from the deployment of British Special Forces to Afghanistan between mid-2010 and mid-2013 under the Inquiries Act 2005, with Afghan families having alleged that UK special forces engaged in a “campaign of murder”, against civilians, the inquiry heard, and that senior military personnel attempted to prevent adequate investigations.
Sir Charles has ordered Mr. Mercer to provide the names by 4 pm on the 25th of July.
The post Former UK veterans minister faces jail for withholding names in Afghanistan war crimes inquiry appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.