Rights activist Kasparov compares Putin to Caligula for judicial appointment News
Rights activist Kasparov compares Putin to Caligula for judicial appointment

[JURIST] Former chess champion Garry Kasparov, who now works as a human rights activist, has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website] of creating a puppet judiciary to persecute opposition leaders. Kasparov compared Putin's recent appointment of an inexperienced jurist to the nation's highest arbitration court to Caligula's naming of a horse to the Senate. Kasparov's comments appeared in a Wall Street Journal [registration required for full access] column. From Russia, MosNews has more.

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.