Bosnian Serb officials offer first apology for Srebrenica massacre News
Bosnian Serb officials offer first apology for Srebrenica massacre

[JURIST] The Bosnian Serb government apologized for the first time Wednesday to family members and friends of the roughly 8,000 Muslims killed in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. The government issued a statement in which it said it "sympathizes with the pain of relatives of the Srebrenica victims and expresses sincere regrets and apologies over the tragedy which has happened to them." A Serb commission report filed with the government and released Monday concluded that the massacre had been planned, the first time such a statement was officially made. Two top Bosnian Serb leaders during the massacre, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, have been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, but both remain at large. BBC News has a timeline of the events in Srebrenica. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.