Australian National Sentenced to Death in Afghanistan

An Australian national was sentenced to death when an appellant court maintained an earlier death sentence to the affect.

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The Australian national who works for a private security company was charged with the murder of his Afghan colleague named Karim.

Judiciary officials in Afghanistan say that the sentence needs an approval from the nation’s Supreme Court.

If the sentence is held in the Supreme Court as well, this will be the first instance of a foreign national being sentenced to death. As per the Afghan constitution, the implementation of death sentence needs a final nod from the country’s president too.

The appellant court defended its position regarding the approval of a lower court’s decision of sentencing the Australian national Robert William to death saying, “He has been found guilty.”

As per the narratives of judicial officials in Afghanistan, the Aussie came to an argument with his Afghan colleague Karim while determining the timing of passage of a logistical convoy on Kabul-Paktika highway when they had the security responsibility of the convoy.

According to the official version, Robert William killed his Afghan colleague by firing and for ‘removal of criminal signs’, burnt Karim’s body with the oil tanker to prove that the incident happened as a result of Taliban attack.

The Supreme Court spokesman confirmed the incident saying that the Australian national was arrested in the month of May last year from Kabul Airport and on interrogation he has accepted his criminal act.

Australian media have reported that the Australian national Robert William has told the court that he acted in defense and shot his colleague before he could open fire on him.

In the follow up of this case, now the Supreme Court has to issue the final orders before the Australian National could be sent to gallows.

Since the fall of Taliban in 2001, Afghanistan has hanged to death at least 21 individuals.