Mutiny, in criminal law, unlawful resistance to a superior officer. In military law, mutiny is defined as insubordination or rebellion against the authority of officers and is governed by the provisions of military law. These provisions include not only mutiny as defined above but also the concealment of mutinous acts or the neglect to attempt their suppression. Offenders are tried by court-martial. In the United States and the United Kingdom, resistance to or usurpation of the authority of a commanding officer of a merchant vessel by one or more members of the crew is also considered mutiny, and the offense is punishable by fine and by imprisonment.