LONDON: A judge has ordered the British minister for veterans to name sources who have accused members of the UK’s Special Air Service of carrying out executions of Afghans, including children.
John Mercer was served with a notice this week which compels him to name the whistleblowers or face up to 51 weeks in prison for failing to comply, The Telegraph reported on Friday.
Mercer last month told an inquiry set up to investigate the accusations that he had listened to “horrific” stories from former members of the Afghan special forces about the alleged executions.
He added that the accounts given to him included allegations that SAS members executed detainees, including minors, who were restrained and posed no threat. There was “no reason why a person under control should lose their life,” he said.
Mercer has so far ignored the request, according to Friday’s report, and would be in contempt of the inquiry and face jail or a fine if he continues to do so.
He has received support for protecting the identities of soldiers, and the former head of the British Army described the issuing of the notice to Mercer as “outrageous.”
Gen. Lord Dannatt said: “It is outrageous that the government minister who has done more than anyone else for veterans should be threatened with jail. He gave his word to the whistleblowers that their identity would be protected. The information that they gave Mr. Mercer has already been passed by him to the inquiry.”
Dannatt added: “He sees this as a matter of public interest. He wants future whistleblowers to be assured they can speak to figures of authority in confidence.”
Mercer told the inquiry in February that he was frustrated with the Ministry of Defense for not adequately investigating the allegations, and accused officials at the ministry of misleading him about the availability of evidence, specifically full-motion video footage from the operations in question.
Mercer said: “I don’t disguise the fact that I am angry with these people. The fact that I’m sitting here today is because those people, with their rank and privileges, have not done their job.”
