Publicity ‘compromised’ Apiata
Identifying Victoria Cross recipient Willie Apiata hampered his military service when he returned to Afghanistan, a lawyer for the Defence Force has argued.
Former SAS corporal Apiata received the military’s highest award for bravery for his actions in Afghanistan in 2004. That attracted widespread publicity – as did the publication of his photograph during combat in Kabul in 2009.
At an inquiry into claims made in the book Hit and Run, Paul Radich argued the identities of past and serving SAS soldiers should be kept secret. ‘‘The importance of anonymity to them underlies the essence of the service itself,’’ he said.
But he was questioned by inquiry co-chair Sir Terence Arnold about Apiata’s return to Afghanistan. Radich said he understood the publicity ‘‘adversely affected’’ his operational capability.
Radich explained the ranks of the elite soldiers are small, with limited numbers on standby. ‘‘If this is compromised the ability of New Zealand to respond comprehensively with this special force is restricted,’’ he said.
He also said they may become targets for exploitation or extremists, and their personal safety and ‘‘wellness’’, as well as that of their families, must be protected.
The Wellington-based Government inquiry is testing events described in Hit and Run, SAS raids in Afghanistan in 2010 and the deaths of six civilians.
Former National MP Wayne Mapp was defence minister at the time of the operations under scrutiny and will give evidence to the inquiry.
His lawyer, Bruce Gray QC, said he believed the inquiry hearings should be ‘‘public to the greatest extent possible’’ and its credibility would be ‘‘enhanced by the possibility of public scrutiny’’.
He added: ‘‘There will be some material which will not be public and therefore some work by the inquiry will be in private.’’
Media organisations have joined to forces to argue the inquiry should be open and public. Lawyer Alan Ringwood is representing Stuff, NZME, TVNZ, Mediaworks, Radio New Zealand and Bauer.
Ringwood said there was ‘‘very great public interest’’ in the raids and the reputation of the Defence Force.
This was one of the main reasons for the inquiry, he said. ‘‘It is not possible for all members of the public who are interested in a court proceeding or inquiry to attend the hearings and observe the process in person. The news media acts as a watchdog or surrogate for the public in attending and reporting on court proceedings and inquiries,’’ he said.
The media accept there will be evidence which for reasons of national security should remain classified or vulnerable witnesses who are at risk and who require protection, he said. But the ‘‘default presumption’’ should not be that evidence would be heard in private and then kept private. Documents that have been properly cleared and redacted should be provided to the media, to increase public understanding, he said.
Earlier, New Zealand’s intelligence agencies said sharing top secret information collected by other countries could put national security at risk.