In September of 2012, Australian soldiers descended on the rural village of Darwan in Afghanistan, killing four men.

That raid and the events of that day were central to the defamation action brought by Ben Roberts-Smith. The court eventually found it was substantially true that he had committed war crimes – including kicking Ali Jan, an Afghan villager, off a cliff and ordering his execution.

Ben Roberts-Smith maintains his innocence, and the allegations have never been proven to a criminal standard.

But now, that’s about to be tested.

This week, Roberts-Smith was arrested and charged with five counts of war crime murder. One of those charges relates to the Darwan raid, making the killing of Ali Jan central to the criminal case ahead.

Ali Jan’s family are still waiting for justice and want to testify. But the agency leading Australia’s war crimes investigations is still refusing to take witness statements directly from Afghanistan.

Today, freelance journalist Michelle Dimasi, who travelled to Afghanistan to meet Ali Jan’s family, on what justice might still look like for them.

This episode first aired in November 2023.

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Guest: Freelance journalist covering Afghanistan and the Middle East, Michelle Dimasi

Photo: AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills

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The fighting may have temporarily eased in the Middle East, but the fallout is still moving through the global economy. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, fuel markets are unsettled, and Australia is exposed.

Now, Anthony Albanese is in Singapore trying to secure supply, as the opposition presses the government over how prepared the country really is.

Today, Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Senior Fellow at the Grattan Institute, on the state of the Strait, the ongoing risks for Australia, and the politics taking shape around another global shock.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

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Guest: Energy and Climate Change Senior Fellow at the Grattan Institute, Tony Wood

Photo: AAP Image/Tom White

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Ben Roberts-Smith was once held up as the face of Australia’s war in Afghanistan. This week, he was arrested and charged with war crimes.

Ben Roberts-Smith maintains his innocence.

For journalist Chris Masters, the road to that moment began almost two decades ago, when he travelled to Afghanistan to report on the war up close. Over time, he began hearing whispers that some elite soldiers had crossed a line.

Those whispers turned into a years-long investigation, alongside Nick McKenzie, into allegations that would later be tested in one of the biggest defamation trials in Australian history.

Today, veteran investigative journalist Chris Masters on how that story began, why soldiers finally started talking, and what Ben Roberts-Smith’s arrest means for how Australia reckons with the truth about its war in Afghanistan.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

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Guest: Investigative reporter and author of Flawed Hero: Truth, lies and war crimes, Chris Masters

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

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