Indonesia

Recently, three soldiers were court-martialed after a Papuan priest was killed. Last week, they were sentenced to up to 15 months in jail after being convicted of various charges, including insubordination, disobeying orders, and abuse. Details about this story can be found here and here.

Nigeria

After an innocent woman was shot during the arrest of Boko Haram suspects in northern Nigeria, the government has ordered an investigation of wide-spread military misconduct against civilians. The Minister of Defence, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammad, attributed such acts to “a few bad eggs” who “sometimes over-reacted to situations.”

Pakistan

Sentences have been handed down to seven men responsible for an attack on Pakistan’s army headquarters in 2009, which killed eleven soldiers. A retired Army serviceman was sentenced to death, while another former serviceman received life in prison. Five civilians who assisted in the attack received prison sentences ranging from seven years to life imprisonment.

Tunisia

Amnesty International reports that four civilian men who were arrested during raids in a town in northern Tunisia in July will face a court-martial. They are being charged with creating or leading armed groups, inciting violence, and assault with the intention of changing the government. Eight other men will be tried in absentia.

Amnesty International criticized these courts-martial, stating that “civilians should never face trial before a military court.” They are facing courts-martial because three security officers were reportely injured during the events, and Tunisian law allows civilians to be tried by the military when a member of the military is involved, if an offence is committed in an military area, or if the offense is related to terrorism or national security.