Saddam judge investigating Halabja poison gas attack News
Saddam judge investigating Halabja poison gas attack

[JURIST] An Iraqi judge investigating charges against Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] met with Kurdish officials Monday to gather information about the 1988 poison gas attack [Wikipedia backgrounder] against the northern Iraq village of Halabja. The investigating judge from the Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website] visited Halabja in order to "inspect and collect information regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction against the city," according to a statement released the regional Kurdistan cabinet. In July, the tribunal filed its first criminal charge [JURIST report] against Hussein in connection with the 1982 killing of some 150 Shiites in the village of Dujail in retribution for an assassination attempt. The Dujail charge is seen as a relatively minor case amongst the allegations against Hussein, but prosecutors have indicated that they expect a fairly easy conviction on that charge. Experts predict that allegations of genocide in Halabja will be much more difficult to prove because the prosecution will have to establish a chain of command that links back to Hussein. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.