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20. General principles of military defense
 
  Article 123-Permitted primary military defense  
123.1 Permitted primary military defense  
  A permitted primary military defense is any central theme/argument upon which a military attorney or a defendant (in self-representation) base their defense of one or more charges.  
  Under the Military Code, only a limited set of primary military defenses are permitted:  
  1. Innocence by fact(s)  
  2. Innocence by ommission/inconclusive fact(s)  
  3. Innocence by procedural injustice  
  3. Guilt with mitigating circumstances  
  4. Guilt with lawful excuse  
  5. Guilt by fact(s)  
123.2

Innocence by fact(s)

 
  A primary military defense of innocence by fact(s) is that the evidence supports the claim that the defendant committed no military offence at all.  
123.3

Innocence by omission/incomplete fact(s)

 
  A primary military defense of innocence by omission/inconclusive fact(s) is that the evidence presented by the prosecution is inconclusive and/or omits to to fully support the proof of the primary facts of the alleged offence.  
123.4 Innocence by procedural injustice  
  A primary military defense of innocence by procedural injustice is that evidence exists of a procedural injustice which means the accused should not be held liable for a legal charge or claim brought against them regardless of other evidence.  
123.5 Guilt with mitigating circumstances  
  A primary military defense of guilt with mitigating circumstances is that the accused is guilty of the offence but under mitigating circumstances.  
123.6 Guilt with lawful excuse  
  A primary military defense of guilt with lawful excuse is that the accused is guilty of the offence but with lawful excuse.  
123.7 Guilt by fact(s)  
  A primary military defense of guilt by fact(s) is that the accused is guilty of the offence but with no lawful excuse, nor mitigating circumstances but possibly with aggrivated circumstances.  
123.8 All guilt defenses must be announced at the arraignment hearing  
  A guilt primary defense must be announced at the arraignment hearing. A guilt defense is not permitted to be entered at the beginning of a military hearing or trial. A failure to do so, shall place either the attorney and/or the accused (if self -defense) in contempt of court.  
  A defense such as not-guilty by reason of insanity is not a permitted or properly constructed defense. Such a plea under the Jusidicial Code is a guilt by reason of mitigating circumstances in which the accused must plead guilt if they are to claim mental incapacity contributed to the circumstances of the offence.  
123.9 Only one type of primary military defense is permitted  
  Upon the arraignment, only one type of military defense is permitted to be claimed. A defense is not permitted to be based around two or more primary defense themes/arguments.  
  Where a defense is presented based on two or more primary military defense themes, the attorney or accused (if self representation) shall be held in contempt.  
123.10 Non-permitted military defense theme/argument  
  Under the Judicial Code, the Constitution and all codes of law, the following military defense themes/arguments/methods are strictly not permitted:  
  Collateral estoppel ("issue preclusion")  
  The common law doctrine that prevents a person from relitigating an issue known as either issue preclusion and/or collateral estoppel is not permitted as a defense, regardless of its historic use, traditional use or association to other law systems.  
  Collateral estoppel, also sometimes known as issue preclusion, is a common law estoppel doctrine that prevents a person from relitigating an issue. This is for the prevention of legal harassment and to prevent the abuse of legal resources.  
  Insanity  
  Insanity and other forms of mental incapacity defense is not permitted in any plea of innocence.  
  Religious theme and/or motivation including creed/belief system  
  No plea of innocence may base a justifiable defence on any religious theme, motivation including creed and/or belief system as the justification for an action leading to a offence.  
     
 
 

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