Aussie broadcaster sues feds over raid triggered by Afghan war crimes report

Australian public broadcaster ABC has asked a court to invalidate a search warrant that was used to raid its head office in relation to its reporting of crimes allegedly committed by the country’s troops in Afghanistan.

The warrant issued by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on June 5 allowed officers to raid the Sydney office of the broadcaster in a search for evidence relating to a series of reports dubbed “The Afghan Files.”

Broadcast in 2017 and based on hundreds of pages of leaked classified military documents, the reports detailed alleged unlawful killings by Australian special forces deployed in Afghanistan.

The broadcaster argues that the warrant was constitutionally invalid because it impeded freedom of “political communication.” ABC also wants the court to bar the AFP from accessing any evidence they collected during the raid. This has been sealed in plastic bags, pending the legal challenge to the search.

A full court hearing is not expected until late July or early August.

David McBride, a former military lawyer accused of leaking the material to the media, was charged with breaching several Australian laws earlier this month. He acknowledges handing over the documents, but insists he was doing the right thing in exposing the misdeeds of the government.

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