1990 PLA trial

Thanks to Jennifer Zeng and Jennifer's World, we can provide this link to a translation of the transcript of the 1990 court-martial of PLA Major General Xu Qinxian. He was tried for disobeying an order to suppress the Tiananmen protests.

Uganda and courts-martial

It is reported that President Museveni has appointed Brig-General Richard Tukachungurwa as Chairperson of the General Court Martial.

Prominent human rights lawyers have sharply criticised President Museveni’s appointment of Brigadier-General Richard Tukachungurwa as Chairperson of the General Court Martial, describing the move as a grave setback for justice, accountability, and the rule of law in Uganda.

Brig Tukachungurwa — the military officer who presided over the dramatic January 2025 confrontation that saw lawyer Eron Kiiza arrested, convicted, and jailed inside the General Court Martial — was appointed on November 25 to replace Brig Robert Freeman Mugabe, whose term expired in June.

His promotion has reignited concerns over the independence and conduct of the military justice system.

Reacting on Wednesday, human rights lawyer Kiiza condemned the appointment in the strongest terms, saying it signalled deep institutional decay.

Nile Post, 3 December 2025.

Expert Q & A on the boat strikes

There's been a great deal of insightful writing about the boat strikes -- none of it better than this essay by Tess Bridgeman, Michael Schmitt and Ryan Goodman at Just Security. BZ.

Professional responsibility and the boat strikes

Major General (ret) Steven J. Lepper, Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Dan Maurer, and the Editor have write here about some of the professional responsibility issues arising from the United States boat strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Excerpt:

What is not acceptable is for an officer who harbors substantial professional misgivings about a proposed mission to remain silent in the face of some other lawyer’s faulty, unexplained, or irresponsible opinion. Silence is not a hallmark of the exercise of independent judgment. Neither is failing to commit one’s professional assessment to writing. Remaining silent or in the shadows will be viewed as acceptance down the road, possibly after a mission has gone sideways.

When the dust settles and more is known about the boat strikes, we hope light will be shed on the extent to which the rules of professional conduct came into play in the operation and whether they proved an aid or a hindrance to the lawyering process and command decision-making.

Does what happens in the barracks stay there? (A note from Switzerland)

The Tribune de Genève has the story here -- with a good summary of Swiss military justice to boot. (Google Translate does a good job withv this.) Excerpt:

If the conviction that concerns you appears on your son's criminal record, he will need to be aware of it in certain situations in his daily life. A prospective employer may request a criminal record extract, particularly for sensitive positions. However, the criminal record extract available to individuals is more limited than the one accessible to authorities. Furthermore, entries are not permanent: they are automatically removed after a certain period, which depends on the seriousness of the offense.

Your son can request his own criminal record extract to know exactly what is included. This will allow him to better anticipate situations where his past might be examined and to prepare contextualized explanations if necessary.

Ultimately, a military conviction is not necessarily a dead end for civilian life. It all depends on its nature and severity. In many cases, the impact remains limited, especially if your son now demonstrates exemplary behavior.