Rights group criticizes Australian anti-terror proposals News
Rights group criticizes Australian anti-terror proposals

[JURIST] New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] condemned [HRW press release] Australia's proposed anti-terror legislation [government backgrounder] Thursday as a violation of international law and called the proposal "a shocking departure from Australia's proud tradition of protecting individuals from an overly powerful state". Last month, Australian Prime Minister John Howard [official website] won unanimous support [JURIST report] for the legislation which allows detention without charge, house arrest, and the electronic tagging of suspects. AFP 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.