A
court-martial (plural
courts-martial, as "martial" is
postpositive) is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the
armed forces subject to
military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment. In addition, courts-martial may be used to try
prisoners of war for
war crimes. The
Geneva Convention requires that
POWs who are on
trial for war crimes be subject to the same procedures as would be the holding
military's own forces.