Mutiny: Difference between revisions

{{otherOther uses}}

'''Mutiny''' is a [[revolt]] among a group of people (typically of a [[military]], of a [[crew]], or of a crew of [[crewPiracy|pirates]]) to oppose, change, or overthrowremove ansuperiors organizationor totheir which they were previously loyalorders. The term is commonly used for a [[rebellion]]insubordination amongby members of the military against an internalofficer forceor superior, but it can also sometimes mean any type of rebellion against any force. Mutiny does not necessarily need to refer to a [[Militarymilitary Force]]force and can describe a [[political]], [[economic]], or [[Powerpower structure]] in which theresubordinates adefy change of powersuperiors.

During the [[Age of Discovery]], mutiny particularly meant open rebellion against a ship's [[Captain (nautical)|captain]]. This occurred, for example, during [[Ferdinand Magellan|Ferdinand Magellan]]'s]] journeys around the world, resulting in the killing of one mutineer, the [[Capital punishment|execution]] of another, and the [[marooning]] of others; on [[Henry Hudson]]'s ''Discovery'', resulting in Hudson and others being set adrift in a boat; and the notoriousfamous [[mutiny on the Bounty|mutiny on the ''Bounty'']].

Until 1689, mutiny was regulated in [[Kingdom of England|England]] by ''[[Articles of War]]'' instituted by the monarch and effective only in a period of war. In 1689, the first ''[[Mutiny Acts|Mutiny Act]]'' was passedapproved, which passed the responsibility to enforce discipline within the military to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]]. The ''Mutiny Act'', altered in 1803, and the ''Articles of War'' defined the nature and punishment of mutiny until the latter were replaced by the ''Army Discipline and Regulation Act'' in 1879. This, in turn, was replaced by the [[Army Act]] in 1881.

Today the [[Armed Forces Act 2006|Army Act 1955]] defines mutiny as follows:<ref>[http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&Year=1955&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&TYPE=QS&PageNumber=1&NavFrom=0&parentActiveTextDocId=2675303&ActiveTextDocId=2675343&filesize=4221 Army Act (1955) c.18 -– Part II Discipline and Trial and Punishment of Military Offences: Mutiny and insubordination], ''The UK Statute Law Database''.</ref>

{{quoteBlockquote|Mutiny means a combination between two or more persons subject to service law, or between persons two at least of whom are subject to service law—

The military law of England in early times existed, like the forces to which it applied, in a period of war only. Troops were raised for a particular service and were disbanded upon the cessation of hostilities. The crown, by [[prerogative]], made laws known as ''Articles of War'' for the government and discipline of the troops while thus embodied and serving. Except for the punishment of desertion, which was made a [[felony]] by statute in the reign of [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]], these ordinances or Articles of War remained almost the sole authority for the enforcement ofenforcing discipline until 1689. whenThat year, the first ''Mutiny Act'' was passed and the military forces of the crown were brought under the direct control of parliamentParliament. Even the Parliamentary forces in the time of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and [[Oliver Cromwell]] were governed, not by an act of the legislature, but by articles of war similar to those issued by the king and authorized by an ordinance of the Lords and Commons exercising in that respect the sovereign prerogative. This power of law-making by prerogative was however held to be applicable during a state of actual war only, and attempts to exercise it in timetimes of peace were ineffectual. Subject to this limitation, it existed for considerably more than a century after the passing of the first Mutiny Act.

From 1689 to 1803, although in peacetime the Mutiny Act was occasionally sufferedexpired toduring expire,times aof peace. Yet [[statutory power]] was given to the crown to make Articles of War tothat operateoperated in the [[British Empire|colonies]] and elsewhere beyond the seas in the same manner as those made by prerogative operated in timetimes of war.

In 1715, in consequence of the rebellion, this power was created in respect of the forces in the kingdom, but apart from and in no respect affected the principle acknowledged all this time that the crown of its mere prerogative could make laws for the government of the army in foreign countries in time of war.

The [[Mutiny Act of 1803]] effected a great constitutional change in this respect: the power of the crownCrown to make any Articles of War became altogether statutory, and the prerogative merged in the act of parliamentParliament. The [[Mutiny Act 1873]] was passed in this manner.

Such matters remained until 1879 when the last Mutiny Act was passed and the last Articles of War were promulgated. The Mutiny Act legislated for offences in respect of which death or penal servitude could be awarded,. andMeanwhile, the Articles of War, while repeating those provisions of the act, constituted the direct authority for dealing with offences for which imprisonment was the maximum punishment, as well as with many matters relating to trial and procedure.

The act and the articles were found not to harmonize in all respects. Their general arrangement was faulty, and their language sometimes obscure. In 1869, a royal commission recommended that both should be recast in a simple and intelligible shape. In 1878, a committee of the House of Commons endorsed this view and made recommendations asfor to howperforming the task should be performed. In 1879, a measure was passed into law a measure consolidating in one act both the Mutiny Act and the Articles of War, and amending their provisions in certain important respects. This measure was called the Army Discipline and Regulation Act 1879.

After one or two years of experience findinghighlighted the roomneed for improvement, it was superseded by the Army Act 1881, which hence formed the foundation and the main portion of the military law of England,. The act containingcontained a proviso saving the right of the crown to make Articles of War, but in such a manner as to render the power in effect a nullity by enacting that no crime made punishable by the act shall be otherwise punishable by such articles. As the punishment of every conceivable offence was provided, any articles made under the act could be no more than an empty formality having no practical effect.

Thus the history of English military law up to 1879 may be divided into three periods, each having a distinct constitutional aspect: (I) prior to 1689, the army, being regarded as so many personal retainers of the sovereign rather than servants of the state, was mainly governed by the will of the sovereign; (2) between 1689 and 1803, the army, being recognised as a permanent force, was governed within the realm by statute and without it by the prerogative of the crown; and (3) from 1803 to 1879, it was governed either directly by statute or by the sovereign under an authority derived from and defined and limited by statute. Although in 1879 the power of making Articles of War became in effect inoperative, the sovereign was empowered to make rules of procedure, having the force of law, to regulate the administration of the act in many matters formerly dealt with by the Articles of War. These rules, however, must not be inconsistent with the provisions of the Army Act itself, and must be laid before parliament immediately after they are made. Thus in 1879, the government and discipline of the army became for the first time completely subject either to the direct action or the close supervision of parliamentParliament.

Until 1998, mutiny and another offence of failing to suppress or report a mutiny were each punishable with death.<ref>[http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&Year=1955&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&TYPE=QS&PageNumber=1&NavFrom=0&activeTextDocId=2675342&parentActiveTextDocId=2675303&showAllAttributes=1&hideCommentary=0&suppressWarning=0&versionNumber=1 Army Act (1955) c.18 Part II Discipline and Trial and Punishment of Military Offences], ''UK Statute Law Database''.</ref> Section 21(5) of the [[Human Rights Act 1998]] completely abolished the [[Capital punishment in the United Kingdom|death penalty in the United Kingdom]]. (Prior to this, the death penalty had already been abolished for murder, but it had remained in force for certain military offences and [[treason]], although no executions had been carried out for several decades.) This provision was not required by the [[European Convention on Human Rights]], since Protocol 6 of the Convention permitted the death penalty in time of war, and Protocol 13, which prohibits the death penalty for all circumstances, did not then exist. The [[UK government]] introduced section 21(5) as a late amendment in response to [[UK Parliament|parliamentary]] pressure.

:Art. 94. (§ 894.) 2004 Mutiny or [[Sedition]].

:(b) A person who is found guilty of attempted mutiny, mutiny, sedition, or failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

==Famous mutinies in history==

* ''[[Batavia (1628 ship)|Batavia]]'' was a [[ship]] of the [[Dutch East India Company]] (VOC), built in 1628 in [[Amsterdam]], which suffered both mutiny and [[shipwreck]] during her [[maiden voyage]].

* ''[[La Amistad]]'', in 1839. A group of captured African [[slave]]s being transported in [[Cuba]] mutinied against the crew, killing the captain.<ref name="WDL">{{cite web |url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3080/ |title = Unidentified Young Man |website = [[World Digital Library]] |date = 1839–1840 |access-date = 2013-07-28 }}</ref>
* The brig [[USS Somers (1842)|USS ''Somers'']] had a mutiny plotted onboard on her first voyage in 1842. Three men were accused of conspiring to commit mutiny, and were hanged.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/columnists/memmott/2017/11/20/jim-memmott-high-seas-mutiny-canandaigua-connection/881514001/|title=Jim Memmott: A high-seas mutiny with a Canandaigua connection|newspaper=Democrat & Chronicle (USA Today)|location=Rochester|last=Memmott|first=Jim|date=November 20, 2017|accessdateaccess-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref>

* The ''Sharon'', a NewFairhaven England whalerwhaleship, was subject to multiple mass desertions, mutinies and the murder and dismemberment of a cruel (and from the record, [[Psychopathy#Sociopathy|sociopathic]]) captain by four [[Polynesians]] who had been pressed into service on the ''Sharon''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Druett |first=Joan |date=2003 |title=In the Wake of MaddressMadness |publisher=Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill}}</ref>

* Mutiny aboard the [[Russian battleship Potemkin|Russian battleship ''Potemkin'']], a rebellion of the crew against their officers in June 1905 during the [[1905 Russian Revolution|Russian Revolution of 1905]]. It was made famous by the film ''[[The Battleship Potemkin|The Battleship ''Potemkin'']]''.

* [[Kiel mutiny]]: Major revolt by sailors on 3 November 1918 in response to further arrests of suspected Wilhelmshaven ringleaders, eventually sparked the [[German Revolution of 1918-1919]] and the end of the First World War.

* [[Kronstadt rebellion]], an unsuccessful uprising of Russian sailors, led by [[Stepan Petrichenko]], against the government of the early [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]] in the first weeks of March in 1921. It proved to be the last large rebellion against [[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] rule.

* [[Battle of Bamber Bridge]] on 24–25 June 1943, a racially motivated mutiny by blackAfrican American soldiers in a segregated U.S. Army truck unit stationed in [[Bamber Bridge]], [[Lancashire]], [[United Kingdom]].

* [[Port ChicagoTownsville mutiny]] on August22 9,May 19441942, threea weeksmutiny afterby theabout Port600 ChicagoAfrican disaster. 258 out of the 320 African-American sailors in the ordnance battalion refused to load any ammunition.<ref>Though 50 sailors were convictedservicemen of mutiny after the [[Port96th ChicagoEngineer disaster]],Battalion there(United isStates)|96th someEngineer question as to whether there was a conspiracy, a prerequisite of mutiny, rather than simple refusal to obey a lawful order. AllBattalion]] of the sailorsUnited wereStates willingArmy towhile doserving anyin otherTownsville, task except loadAustralia, ammunitionduring underWorld unsafeWar conditionsII.</ref> See also [[African-American mutinies in the United States armed forces]].

* [[Post–World War II demobilization strikes]] occurred within [[Allies of World War II|Allied military forces]] stationed across the [[Middle East]], [[India]] and [[South-EastSoutheast Asia]] in the months and years following the Second World War.

* The [[East Bengal Regiment]] occurredswitched when East Bengal Regiment high rank officer refused ordersides from the [[Pakistan armyArmy]] commandto inthe east Pakistan present day[[Mukti Bahini|Bangladesh andForces]] joinduring the [[Bangladesh freedomLiberation movementWar]].

* The [[209thUnit Detachment, 2325th Group684#Mutiny|Unit 684 Mutinymutiny]] occurred when members of [[South KoreanKorea]]n black ops Unit 684 mutinied for unclear reasons.

* The [[Soviet frigate Storozhevoy#Mutiny|The ''Storozhevoy'' Mutinymutiny]] occurred on 9 November 1975 in [[Riga]], [[Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic|Latvian SSR]], Soviet Union. The [[Political commissar|political officer]] locked up the [[Soviet Navy]] captain and sailed the ship toward [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]].

* [[Greek military junta of 1967-1974#Velos mutiny|The ''Velos'' mutiny]]: On 23 May 1973, the captain of {{ship|Greek[[USS destroyerCharrette|''Velos|D16|2}},'']] refused to return to [[Greece]] after a [[NATO]] exercise.

* Following [[Operation Blue Star]] against Sikh militants holed in the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]] in the Sikh [[holy city]] of [[Amritsar]], many soldiers and officers of [[Indian Army]]'s [[Sikh Regiment]] mutinied or resigned.<ref>{{cite web|author=AP |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/02/world/general-promises-to-punish-sikh-mutineers.html |title=General Promises To Punish Sikh Mutineers |location=India; Amritsar (India); Punjab State (India) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=1984-07-02 |accessdateaccess-date=2012-06-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sikhmuseum.com/bluestar/newsreports/840611_6.html |title=Operation Blue Star 1984 Golden Temple Attack Sikhs |publisher=Sikhmuseum.com |date=1984-06-11 |accessdateaccess-date=2012-06-10}}</ref>

* 2003 [[Oakwood mutiny]] – A group of 321 officers and personnel of the [[Armed Forces of the Philippines|Philippines Armed Forces]] took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center serviced apartment tower in [[Makati City]] to show the Filipino people the alleged corruption of Pres.President [[Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo]].

*2011 [[Mutiny on Lurongyu 2682|Mutiny on ''Lurongyu 2682'']], a Chinese fishing trawler in the South Pacific. After a month-long of killings, 11 of the 33 crew returned to China.

* 2013 1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, British Army Sixteen soldiers were jailed after a court martial for staging a 'sit-in' protest against their Captain and Colour Sergeant<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25313387|title=Yorkshire Regiment soldiers jailed for sit-in protest|work=BBC News|date=2013-12-10|access-date=2014-04-07}}</ref>
* 2014 [[Nigerian Army]]: A total of 54 soldiers were [[capital punishment in Nigeria|sentenced to death]] by [[firing squad]] by a court martial in two separate trials, after they had refused to fight to recapture a town that had been captured by [[Boko Haram]] [[insurgent]]s. The sentences are subject to the approval of senior officers.<ref>{{cite news|title=BREAKING: Nigerian Military Sentences 54 Soldiers To Death For Mutiny|url=http://saharareporters.com/2014/12/17/breaking-nigerian-military-sentences-54-soldiers-death-mutiny|accessdateaccess-date=12 March 2017|publisher=Sahara Reporters|date=17 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Nigerian soldiers given death penalty for mutiny|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30526725|accessdateaccess-date=12 March 2017|work=[[BBC News]]|date=17 December 2014}}</ref>

* {{EB1911|noprescript=1|wstitle=Mutiny}}