Happy St. Crispin's Day

Mark Rylance's version is the Editor's favorite.

Tunisian military court jails a civilian opposition leader

Reuters has the story here. Excerpt:

A Tunisian military court sentenced opposition politician Olfa Hamdi to four ‌years in prison on charges of plotting against ‌state security and inciting the military to disobey orders, her lawyer ​said on Wednesday, the latest move against opponents of President Kais Saied.

Hamdi, the leader of the Third Republic Party who holds US citizenship, was detained at Tunisia's main airport ‌after disembarking from ⁠a flight in February.

Human rights jurisprudence strongly disfavors the prosecution of civilians in military courts. Add Tunisia to the list of states that violate this fundamental principle.

Will the US file a protest?

Condonation of a grounding defense rejected

A Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard officer is on trial for running his ship aground and related offenses. The High Court had previously stayed the case while considering the officer's claim that his superior had condoned the offense by saying the grounding would be treated as an operational matter. The stay was later lifted and the court-martial is proceeding.

Social media post lands Russian civilian in jail following military court trial

Why was this case tried in a Russian naval court?

The Northern Fleet Military Court has sentenced a 46-year-old resident of Arkhangelsk, a city in north-western Russia, to a fine of 500,000 roubles (approximately US$5,700) under the article on public justification of terrorism on the internet (Part 2, Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, the man posted comments in a messenger in support of the activities of Ukrainian nationalist organisations.

Should Türkiye reintroduce military courts?

Retired Brigadier General Erdoğan Baykal thinks so. He writes:

The issue of the re-establishment of the military judiciary and military courts is in danger of being forgotten by the public. The fact that it is not being discussed or featured on the agenda should not be taken to mean that this need has disappeared or has become a matter of course. This issue is of the utmost critical importance for the discipline and success of the heroic Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) whilst carrying out their duties under wartime conditions. The re-establishment of the military justice system and military courts must be debated in the public sphere and kept on the agenda.

Military justice requires specialisation. What is important is the establishment of a system capable of fulfilling this function. The judges or prosecutors serving within this system may be in civilian or military uniform. The institutions or mechanisms (civilian or military) to which this system would be answerable are open to discussion. ‘However, provided that they are limited solely to military personnel and military offences, there is an absolute need for specialised first-instance military courts in this regard.’

Taking into account the principle of the unity and oneness of the judiciary, there may be no need for a second-tier military judiciary, that is, a separate High Military Court. In line with the need for specialisation, the function of reviewing military judicial decisions could be carried out by units established within the (civilian) Court of Cassation and the Council of State.