Algeria votes in referendum over amnesty for Islamist rebels News
Algeria votes in referendum over amnesty for Islamist rebels

[JURIST] Algerians voted Thursday in a referendum [AP key points; BBC backgrounder] that seeks to bring peace to Algeria after a 13-year-long civil war. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika [official profile in French] says the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation seeks to close the wounds of the battle between Islamic militants and government forces that left over 100,000 people dead and resulted in thousands of disappearances. Those found guilty of taking part in massacres, rapes and bombings in public places are not included in the amnesty, but opponents say the document is too vague and will be difficult to enforce. Family members of victims of the conflict will receive compensation under the charter as well. Human rights groups have been critical of the document [Human Rights Watch report], claiming it prevents some war crimes from being investigated. BBC News 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.