Rwanda nun found guilty in genocide case News
Rwanda nun found guilty in genocide case

[JURIST] A Rwandan community court convicted a Catholic nun of genocide charges Friday for assisting in the Hutumassacre of Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide [HRW backgrounder; BBC backgrounder]. The nun, Theopister Mukakibibi, reportedly aided Hutu extremist groups and facilitated the slaughter of several hundred Tutsis who sought refuge in a Butare hospital during the 100-day massacre. She now faces a sentence of 30 years in jail.

The gacaca courts [official website; Wikipedia backgrounder] were created in 2001 to accelerate genocide trial proceedings in Rwanda [JURIST news archive] and are separate from the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) [official website; JURIST news archive]. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.