The Kabul Tribune (KT) — New Zealand Herald reports that a member of the New Zealand Defence Force is facing a court martial over allegations that he threatened an Afghan interpreter while serving in Afghanistan.
According to the case heard at a military court in Auckland,
the accused allegedly told the interpreter that he would be killed if he attempted
to approach the New Zealand Minister of Defence regarding permission to bring
his wife to New Zealand.
The interpreter, who worked with NZDF forces in Afghanistan,
testified that he was told he would be “blacklisted” and killed, and that his
family would also be at risk if he pursued the matter.
The accused service member has denied the allegations, which
relate to an incident said to have occurred 13 years ago at a base in
Afghanistan.
The identities of the accused, the interpreter, and
witnesses have been suppressed pending the outcome of the trial.
Court proceedings heard that the interpreter worked with
NZDF personnel in Bamyan Province as part of a reconstruction mission following
the 2001 U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan.
He told the court that he feared for his life due to the
security situation at the time, as armed opposition groups expanded their
presence across the country and violence increased.
The case remains ongoing, and no verdict has yet been
reached.
