Indonesian cleric found guilty in Bali bombings News
Indonesian cleric found guilty in Bali bombings

[JURIST] An Indonesian court Thursday found radical cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir [BBC profile] guilty of conspiracy to commit the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings [CNN special report] that killed 202 people. The five-judge panel found that although Ba'asyir was not directly involved in the bombings, he did give his approval for the attack. The panel sentenced Ba'asyir to two and a half years in jail of which ten months will be reduced for time served. The trial was seen by most around the world as a test for Indonesia's judicial attempts to combat terrorism. Both the United States and Australia, which have both linked Ba'asyir of being the spiritual leader of an al-Qaeda linked militant network called Jemaah Islamiah, have already expressed disappointment with the length of the sentence. BBC News has more. From Indonesia, the Jakarta Post provides local coverage.

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.