Roberts-Smith Loses Defamation Appeal: Court Upholds War Crimes Allegations

A full bench of the Federal Court of Australia has dismissed Ben Roberts-Smith's appeal against a multi-million dollar defamation ruling. The case stems from articles published in 2018 by Nine-owned newspapers that accused Mr. Roberts-Smith of war crimes, bullying, and domestic violence. The court found that the publications had proven to the civil standard that the allegations were substantially true, including an allegation that he was involved in the murders of four people while on deployment in Afghanistan. Mr. Roberts-Smith, a decorated Australian special forces veteran, has consistently denied these allegations, and it's important to note that he has never been criminally charged. He had been seeking to overturn the original Federal Court finding, but the appeals board today dismissed his appeal, upholding the original judge's decision. They also ruled that Mr. Roberts-Smith must pay costs, a bill estimated to be well into the tens of millions of dollars. The case has drawn significant public attention and highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the conduct of Australian special forces in Afghanistan.