Berlusconi demands US ‘respect’ Italian sovereignty after CIA abduction scandal News
Berlusconi demands US ‘respect’ Italian sovereignty after CIA abduction scandal

[JURIST] Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi [official profile] took the remarkable step Friday of demanding in an official statement [in Italian] delivered to summoned US ambassador Mel Sembler that the US government exhibit "full respect" for Italian sovereignty in the wake of a controversy over the alleged 2003 CIA abduction of an Islamic cleric in Milan [Washington Post report]. Sembler provided assurances that US respect towards Italy was "full and total." Pursuant to an Italian court order arrest warrants have been issued [JURIST report] for 13 CIA agents over the alleged kidnapping of Abu Omar, an imam already being watched by Italian authorities as part of a terrorism investigation. Italian prosecutors believe the operation was part of a controversial US anti-terror policy known as "extraordinary rendition," in which suspects are moved to third countries without permission. BBC News 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.