Jordan ratifies ICC nonsurrender agreement with US News
Jordan ratifies ICC nonsurrender agreement with US

[JURIST] The lower house of Jordan's parliament on Sunday approved an agreement with the US which will prohibit the country from handing over Americans accused of violating international criminal law to the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website]. The decision was met with intense opposition by the Islamic Action Front [official website in Arabic], Jordan's largest political party, and human rights groups. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch [advocacy websites] say that the measure, which had already been approved by the upper house of parliament, sets a dangerous precedent for other countries, and claim Jordan is in violation of the ICC's Rome Statute [PDF text]. Despite the opposition, Jordan ratified the Article 98 Agreement [US State Dept. backgrounder] largely in order to continue receiving financial aid from the US, which is Jordan's primary financial donor giving a total of $250 million last year. Three independent Jordanian deputies withdrew from the chamber during the vote, calling it "an infringement of their country's sovereignty." IRIN has more. The Jordan Times has local coverage.

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.