• Ben Roberts-Smith lost his appeal against a defamation ruling linked to war crimes allegations.
• The federal court upheld findings that he was implicated in the murder of four Afghan prisoners.
• Roberts-Smith plans to appeal to Australia’s High Court to clear his name.

Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most-decorated soldier, has lost an appeal against a defamation verdict that found he committed war crimes while serving in Afghanistan. The Federal Court upheld the earlier decision, which ruled that reports alleging he murdered four unarmed Afghan men were "substantially true," resulting in a significant blow to his quest to restore his reputation since the allegations surfaced in 2018, according to BBC, India Times, and TRT Global.

The 46-year-old former SAS corporal's appeal was dismissed by a three-judge panel who ruled that he must cover the legal costs of the media outlets he sued, estimated at over AUD$25 million ($16 million), as per court findings that he was responsible for multiple unlawful deaths, reported AA and Al Jazeera.

The judge found the newspapers' allegations—including claims that Roberts-Smith had kicked an Afghan civilian off a cliff—were substantiated by credible evidence during the multi-million dollar 110-day trial. Roberts-Smith's assertion of innocence includes contending that these acts were either lawful actions taken in combat or entirely fabricated, although he has not faced criminal charges, according to BBC and TRT Global.

Roberts-Smith has announced intentions to further challenge the federal court's decision in the High Court of Australia, emphasizing his ongoing denial of the allegations. "I continue to maintain my innocence and deny these egregious spiteful allegations,” he stated, as reported by India Times and Al Jazeera.