David McBride, an Australian army whistleblower who leaked classified documents concerning Australia's involvement in Afghanistan, has been released on parole. McBride served 27 months of a five-year and eight-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2024 to stealing top-secret defense documents and providing them to the media.
His disclosures led to a significant inquiry that uncovered evidence of unlawful killings by Australian forces in Afghanistan. A spokesperson for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland confirmed that McBride's parole was considered and granted. The former military lawyer, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer, will complete his sentence in the community under supervision.
McBride released a statement through The Information Rights Project, expressing gratitude to his family and supporters. He also revealed his lung cancer diagnosis and upcoming surgery.
His lawyer, Edwina Lloyd, stated that the parole decision was the correct one, emphasizing McBride's lifetime of service to Australia. During the court proceedings, prosecutors argued that McBride's actions compromised national security, while his defense maintained he acted with honorable intentions out of a sense of duty. The judge, however, described the leaks as a "gross breach of trust."
The documents McBride leaked, known as The Afghan Files, were the basis for 2017 reports alleging war crimes by Australia's elite special forces. The subsequent Brereton Report in 2020 found "credible evidence" of 39 unlawful killings. An investigation by the Office of the Special Investigator has led to charges against two former Special Air Service soldiers, with Ben Roberts-Smith and Oliver Schulz facing murder charges.