Indonesia, East Timor announce members of truth commission News
Indonesia, East Timor announce members of truth commission

[JURIST] Indonesia Monday announced the membership of a 10-member Truth and Friendship Commission formed to investigate the 1999 violence in East Timor [Wikipedia backgrounder] that left around 1,400 dead. Half will hail from Indonesia with the other half coming from East Timor. The two nations announced the panel [JURIST report] earlier month while Indonesia rejected calls for international oversight [JURIST report]. The panel will not have the power to bring prosecutions, and the UN has called the current plan "manifestly inadequate" [JURIST report] while urging an international tribunal [JURIST report]. BBC News 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.