Serb general pleads not guilty to Kosovo war crimes News
Serb general pleads not guilty to Kosovo war crimes

[JURIST] Former Serbian police general Sreten Lukic [ICTY case backgrounder] pleaded not guilty Wednesday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia [official website] to charges of overseeing the murder, deportation and persecution of Kosovo Albanians in 1999. Lukic, who is charged [ICTY indictment] with four counts of crimes against humanity and one count of violations of the laws or customs of war, initially delayed his plea [JURIST report] while he underwent medical exams. Lukic has been indicted with three other Serbian generals for their role in the Kosovo conflict, during which over 12,000 Kosovo Albanians were murdered. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.