Former general says Abu Ghraib abuse approved by top officials News
Former general says Abu Ghraib abuse approved by top officials

[JURIST] In an address [notice] to the San Francisco Commonwealth Club public affairs forum Friday, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski said that ample evidence exists to prove the use of torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib prison [JURIST news archive] was authorized by the highest levels of the US government. Karpinski served as commander of military prisons in Iraq when the abuse scandal broke in 2003 and contends that reservists jailed to date did not devise the techniques used to interrogate prisoners. Karpinski notes that the humiliation techniques used required a detailed knowledge of Arab culture, a knowledge most reservists charged did not possess. Last month the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First sued [JURIST report] Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and several other top US military officials on behalf of eight former detainees who claim they were tortured and abused by US personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reuters 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.