Putin aide says Khodorkovsky ruling harmed Russia News
Putin aide says Khodorkovsky ruling harmed Russia

[JURIST] Maverick Andrei Illarionov [official website], a top economic advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Thursday that the recent conviction of oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky [JURIST news archive] for fraud and tax evasion had caused Russia major harm and had dramatically changed the country's political landscape. While the Kremlin denies any political motive in the arrest, trial and 9-year sentence of Khodorkovsky and his partner [JURIST report], critics view the process as an attempt to crush an independent voice. After expressing concerns about the trial, free speech, and Russian policy earlier this year Illarinov was stripped of his G8 duties [JURIST report], and it is unclear what, if any, the consequences of his latest comments might be. Of the Khodorkovsky trial itself Illarinov said, “I think the court showed deep incompetence from the economic and judicial points of view. I was shocked by the low level of people representing the state . . . I felt a deep sense of shame for a state that for some reason had to be represented in such a way.” MosNews 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

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