Peru high court upholds Fujimori abuse of authority prison sentence News
Peru high court upholds Fujimori abuse of authority prison sentence

[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Peru on Tuesday upheld a prison sentence [JURIST report] for former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], who was convicted late last year on charges of abuse of authority for ordering a warrantless search of the apartment of the wife of former Peruvian Intelligence Director Vladimiro Montesino [BBC profile]. The high court also upheld a $135,000 fine for rights violations that occurred during the search.

The December conviction marked the first time Fujimori has ever been convicted of a crime; he currently faces separate trials for alleged human rights abuses and other charges stemming from his actions during three presidential terms in office from 1990-2000. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Dreyfus convicted of treason

On December 22, 1894, Jewish French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial trial that prompted worldwide allegations of anti-Semitism. Dreyfus was later cleared. Learn more about the case of Alfred Dreyfus and read an English translation of the famous public letter J'Accuse...! by novelist and Dreyfus partisan Emile Zola.

US passed Embargo Act, banning foreign trade

On December 22, 1807, the Embargo Act was passed at the urging of US President Thomas Jefferson. The act barred trade with any foreign nations in an effort to avoid American entry into the Napoleonic Wars of Europe. However, the act proved unenforceable and was replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act, which barred trade with France and Great Britain. Learn more about the Embargo Act of 1807 from Monticello.org