As an Afghan-Australian and a lawyer, I am deeply upset by the persecution of David McBride, the brave whistleblower who exposed Australian Defence Force’s war crimes in Afghanistan. Without courageous whistleblowers like David McBride, our democracy is at stake. I’m calling on the Attorney-General to Pardon David McBride.

As an Australian, I am grateful to David McBride for doing what he did to protect the legacy of the Australian Defence Force. The nation owes him a great debt. If we truly want to commit to reforming the systemic cultural problem in the Australian Defence Force, we must begin to acknowledge and appreciate people like McBride who at grave personal risk, expose the truth. 

Pardoning David McBride would be a vital step towards restoring our faith in our democratic principles and the Labor Party. It would send a powerful message that the Australian Government values truth, integrity, and service over secrecy, corruption, and retaliation.

The unjust treatment of David McBride underscores the urgent need for comprehensive whistleblower protections, including a full reform of the Whistleblower Act.

We urge Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to pardon David McBride now and reaffirm Australia’s commitment to protecting whistleblowers. 

“It is a travesty that the first person imprisoned in relation to Australia’s war crimes in Afghanistan is not a war criminal but a whistleblower – the person who leaked documents to the ABC that enabled important public interest journalism. The case has significantly undermined Australia’s commitment to implementing the findings of the Brereton Inquiry.” - Rawan Arraf, Executive Director at the Australian Centre for International Justice

Please sign this petition to protect free speech, press freedom, and the public’s right to know.

If you can help by donating money to David's fight for freedom, please click here! 

Together, we must stand up for whistleblowers. 

Every Action Counts!