[JURIST] A medical officer in the British Royal Air Force [official website] was found guilty Thursday of five charges laid against him for refusing to go to Iraq [JURIST report] for a third tour of duty. Flight Lieutenant Malcolm Kendall-Smith [BBC profile] was dismissed from the military, sentenced to eight months in jail, and has to pay £20,000 in costs incurred after he disobeyed the orders. Kendall-Smith said his refusal to deploy was based on his belief that the UK's involvement in the war was illegal [JURIST report] because Iraq had not attacked the UK or one of its allies.

The court-martial [JURIST report] panel agreed with prosecutors who said that Kendall-Smith could not "pick and choose" which military orders he would follow. Kendall-Smith's lawyer says he plans to appeal the panel's decision. BBC News has more.