Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:24:39-2:25:06

Mutiny and preventing an officer's war crime

No preventive mutiny is identified, and the brief reply distinguishes later judgments of conduct from its legal classification at the time.

Live Q&ANaval LawRoyal NavyWar Crimes
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Question

Has a Royal Navy crew ever mutinied to prevent an officer from committing a war crime?

Short answer

No. The accompanying qualification distinguishes historical acts described as war crimes later from their legal classification when committed.

Notes

No example of a Royal Navy crew mutinying to prevent an officer's war crime is identified. A qualification concerns historical conduct judged by later legal standards: acts later described as war crimes are said not to have been classified that way when committed. No particular case or legal instrument is examined in this brief reply.