Australia demands apology from China for sharing 'repugnant' fake image
Australia has demanded an apology from China after a government account posted a distorted image depicting an Australian soldier killing an Afghan child. China has said that the image referred to alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers, as detailed in an inquiry report by the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Reacting to the fake image, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said China should be "ashamed."
The fake image in question had been shared by China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lijian Zhao on Monday. The image depicts an Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to the neck of a child, who is holding a lamb. "Shocked by the murder of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts, and call for holding them accountable," said the tweet.
Morrison said China should be "utterly ashamed" and that the post "diminishes them in the world's eyes." He said the post was "truly repugnant, deeply offensive, utterly outrageous." "It is a false image and terrible slur on our defense forces," he said, adding that Australia has a transparent process to investigate the alleged war crimes, as is expected of a "democratic, liberal" country.
Meanwhile, according to a live translation of her comments broadcast by the ABC, Chinese Foreign Ministry official Hua Chunying said, "The Australian side is reacted so strongly to my colleague's Twitter, does that mean that they think the cold blood murder of Afghan innocent civilians is justified while other people's condemnation of such crimes is not justified? Afghan lives matter."
The development comes at a time of escalating political tensions between Australia and China. After Australia led calls to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which was first reported to have emerged in China's Wuhan city, Beijing imposed a series of economic blows—by means of trade stoppages and tariffs—on roughly a dozen Australian imports. Australia had described the move as "economic coercion."
On a related note, a report has found "credible information" that 25 Australian soldiers were involved in the murders of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013. The report, referred to as the 'Brereton War Crimes Report', said some of these soldiers continue to serve in the ADF. The report detailed a four-year inquiry and a redacted version was released to the public on November 19.
The report mentioned a "warrior culture" wherein junior soldiers were encouraged to shoot prisoners for their first kill as part of an initiation ritual called "blooding." It also described that elite Australian soldiers allegedly used knives to slit the throats of two 14-year-old Afghan boys.
