Indonesia, East Timor to open truth commission News
Indonesia, East Timor to open truth commission

[JURIST] East Timor [JURIST news archive] and Indonesia [JURIST news archive] have set up a joint truth commission, to open August 1 2005, to address human rights violations that occurred during a 1999 rampage in East Timor [Human Rights Watch report]. Following a UN sponsored referendum to end Indonesia's violent 27-year occupation of East Timor, anti-independence militias aided by elements of the Indonesian military slaughtered approximately 1,000 East Timorese. The joint commission will consist of five delegates from each country and will have no authority to punish those found guilty. The two Asian countries previously agreed [JURIST report] to set up the commission, and Indonesia rejected a UN proposal for an international tribunal [JURIST report]. Reuters 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.