Court Overturns Navy Punishments for Sailors Refusing Unsafe Mission

Court Decision Reverses Navy's Disciplinary Actions

The Central Administrative Court of the South has annulled the Navy's decision to punish eleven sailors from the MRP Mondego after they refused to embark on a mission due to alleged safety concerns. The Navy plans to appeal this ruling.

According to reports from Correio da Manhã, the action taken by a sailor against the disciplinary sanctions, which resulted in suspensions ranging from 10 to 90 days, was deemed valid by the court. The judges ruled in favor of the sailors, nullifying the disciplinary decision.

In a statement to Observador, the Navy emphasized that the court's ruling has not yet become final and will be subjected to an appeal. They also noted that many related cases have historically favored the Navy in previous decisions by this court and others.

In March 2023, the NRP Mondego did not carry out a mission to monitor a Russian ship near Porto Santo after several sailors refused to board. The Navy subsequently reported the incident to the Military Judicial Police.

Following this incident, Gouveia e Melo, the Navy Chief, stated that the Navy cannot forget or forgive acts of indiscipline and criticized the sailors for sending a list of the ship's issues to external entities, implying a breach of operational security.

However, the court did not side with the Navy regarding the punishments imposed on the sailors.

Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the punishment was decided by Henrique Gouveia e Melo as Chief of the Navy Staff; the Navy clarified that it was imposed by the Naval Commander.