A bid to prosecute King Charles III reached an international court before being thrown out, according to reports by ABC News and the Associated Press.
The decision was handed down by three judges in Victoria’s Court of Appeal in Australia, who dismissed an attempt by Indigenous activist and elder Robbie Thorpe to bring a private prosecution against the monarch.
King Charles is Australia’s head of state as well as the King of the United Kingdom.
The ruling leaves Mr Thorpe with one remaining domestic avenue, seeking permission to appeal to Australia’s High Court.
ABC News reported that the High Court accepts only a small proportion of applications for leave to appeal.
Mr Thorpe, a 68-year-old elder of the Krautatungalung people, has been attempting since 2023 to launch legal proceedings against the King in Melbourne.
His case alleged that the monarch, together with Australian government institutions, was perpetrating genocide through systems that disadvantage Indigenous Australians.
Following the latest ruling, Mr Thorpe indicated he intended to pursue the matter internationally.
He said: “The International Criminal Court will expose Australia for what it really is — a lying, racist, illegal occupation committing genocide.”
Monday’s decision marked Mr Thorpe’s third legal defeat since beginning his campaign to bring the case before the courts.
According to ABC News and AP, Indigenous Australians make up around four per cent of the country’s population and experience poorer health outcomes, lower life expectancy and higher rates of unemployment and imprisonment than other Australians, according to official statistics.
