Iraq president expects Saddam Hussein trial within two months News
Iraq president expects Saddam Hussein trial within two months

[JURIST] Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] could face trial for war crimes within two months according to comments made Tuesday by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani [Wikipedia profile] in a CNN interview. Talabani said that the Iraqi people were "starting to ask for executing Saddam Hussein" but Hussein's lawyer expressed surprise that the trial, which Iraqi prosecutors and their US advisors claim will likely begin in 2006, would be speeded up. Hussein is being held at a high security complex near Baghdad airport and will be tried before the Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website, English version; JURIST news archive]. AP 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.