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Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971

Offences - Offences involving treachery, cowardice, and looting

24: Communication with the enemy

You could also call this:

"Helping the Enemy is Against the Law"

Illustration for Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971

You commit an offence if you try to help the enemy by talking to them or giving them information. This can include telling the enemy things that might help them fight against you. You can get in trouble if you do not report information you receive from the enemy that could help them. You also commit an offence if you talk to the enemy without permission or do not report information from the enemy without a good reason. The term intelligence means information that could help the enemy. If you give the enemy intelligence, you can be imprisoned for life.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM402387.

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23: Aiding the enemy, or

"Helping the Enemy is Against the Law"

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25: Unauthorised disclosure of information, or

"Sharing secret information without permission is against the law"

Part 2Offences
Offences involving treachery, cowardice, and looting

24Communication with the enemy

  1. Every person subject to this Act commits an offence, and is liable to imprisonment for life, who, with intent to assist the enemy,—

  2. communicates with or gives intelligence to the enemy; or
    1. fails to report any information received by him from or about the enemy that would or might be directly or indirectly useful in the prosecution of hostilities against the enemy.

      1. Every person subject to this Act commits an offence, and is liable to imprisonment for life, who—

      2. without authority, communicates with or gives intelligence to the enemy; or
        1. without lawful excuse, fails to report any information received by him from or about the enemy that to his knowledge would or might be directly or indirectly useful in the prosecution of hostilities against the enemy.

          1. For the purposes of this section, the term intelligence means information that would or might be, or purports to be, directly or indirectly useful to the enemy.

          Notes
          • Section 24(1): amended, on , by section 5(3) of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 1989 (1989 No 119).