Introduction

Archives

Introduction

July 20, 2013 10:16:18 pm

The Egyptian Revolution was one of the most prominent in a wave of protests that swept the Middle East beginning in early 2011. While many countries, including Bahrain, Yemen and Syria also experienced social reverberations that emanated from Tunisia’s popular protests, a social movement that some referred to as the “Arab Spring.” The intensity and apparent success of the Egyptian Revolution captivated the world during and since the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The revolution also focused attention on political and social conditions in one of the most populous and economically diverse countries in North Africa and the Middle East.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Georgia became first US state to ban lynching

On December 20, 1893, Georgia became the first state in the Union to pass a law against lynching, making the act punishable by four years in prison. The statute was not particularly effective—read the text of the 1899 pamphlet Lynch Law in Georgia by anti-lynching activist Ida Wells-Barnett.

UN Drug Trafficking Convention signed

On December 20, 1988, the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was signed in Vienna, Austria. The treaty provides mechanisms for international coordination in preventing the manufacture and distribution of drugs worldwide. Over 170 countries have signed the treaty to date.