Former Congo VP pleads not guilty to interfering with administration of justice News
Former Congo VP pleads not guilty to interfering with administration of justice

[JURIST] Former Congolese vice president Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba [IJM profile] pleaded not guilty [ICC case materials] on Tuesday to charges of interfering with the administration of justice. Bemba is accused of paying witnesses and coaching them to give false testimony in his war crimes trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website]. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and fines. The prosecution made its opening statement [press release] Tuesday, and the defense team will make its opening statement on Wednesday.

ICC judges ordered [JURIST report] Bemba and four members [ICC case materials] of his legal team to stand trial on charges of interfering with the administration of justice last November. The accused were held [JURIST report] in an ICC detention center since November 2013. The court ordered the release [JURIST report] of the four members of Bemba’s legal team in October 2014. The ICC indicted [JURIST report] Bemba for war crimes and crimes against humanity, which were allegedly committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) between October 2002 and March 2003. Prosecutors claim he is responsible for rape, torture, outrages upon personal dignity and pillaging. Bemba’s arrest warrant was the first issued by the ICC in its investigation of large-scale sexual offenses in the CAR.

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.