Afghan sergeant Hekmatullah, who was sentenced to death for murdering three Australian soldiers, to walk free from jail in US peace deal

A disgraced Afghan sergeant who was sentenced to death after he murdered three Australian soldiers is going to walk free from jail in a US peace deal with the Taliban. The Australian reported that the families of Pte Robert Poate, Lance- Cpl Stjepan “Rick” Milosevic and Sapper James Martin had been informed by Defence officials that their sons’ killer is likely to be released in a few days. Sgt Hekmatullah, who has only one name, murdered the three Australians in 2012 while he was serving alongside Australian troops as a member of the Afghanistan Army. He was sentenced to death for his crimes in 2013 but is now expected to be released in coming days by the Afghanistan Government under a deal between the US and the Taliban. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds had been lobbying against Hekmatullah’s release. The Prime Minister revealed he had written to US President Donald Trump urging against the release of the sergeant. “Hekmatullah was responsible for murdering three Australians and our position is that he should never be released,” Mr Morrison said in Canberra today. “This has been a matter of very regular and persistent partitioning on our behalf.” Sergeant Hekmatullah is one of the 5000 prisoners set to be released in a peace deal between the Afghan Government and the Taliban. But Mr Morrison said Hekmatullah’s murder of the three Australian soldiers should have him detained for the rest of his life. “I can’t promise you the outcome we all want here,” Mr Morrison said. “But it is certainly the outcome that we will continue to press for as hard as we can.” Earlier this year The West Australian revealed that Senator Reynolds took nearly six months to reply to a letter from the late Pte Poate’s father, Hugh Poate, begging for information about his son’s killer. He only received a response from Senator Reynolds after The West contacted her office asking why the family had not received a reply. At the time Senator Reynolds apologised for the delay and said they had received assurances from the Afghan Government that Hekmatullah would not be freed. “The Foreign Minister and I, along with senior members of the Australian Government, have made senior representations to the Afghan Government up to the highest levels,” Senator Reynolds wrote. “We have stressed the Australian Government’s position that Zabet Hekmatullah’s contemptible and premeditated crime deserves the full weight of the law and he should not be granted early release.” Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Hekmatullah’s release would cause “great distress” to the families of the Australians killed. “This will be a source of great distress for the families of the victims and the Australian Government does need to explain what representations it's made to both the Afghan and the US Government in order to ensure that this man who murdered Australians is not released,” he said. “This is a critical issue for the families but also for justice, this man should not be released. “Australia needs to make the strongest possible representations to both the Afghan government and to the US to ensure that this doesn't happen.” The deal comes as the Government prepares for the release of findings by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force into alleged war crimes by Australian personnel in Afghanistan. Australia’s most decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith led the incident response group following the killings. Mr Poate has previously defended Mr Roberts-Smith after Channel Nine reported he was accused of war crimes. “Ben Roberts-Smith is a hero and he deserves to be,” Mr Poate told The West last year.