Pentagon says number of Gitmo hunger strikers down, but criticism continues News
Pentagon says number of Gitmo hunger strikers down, but criticism continues

[JURIST] The number of hunger strike participants at the Guantanamo [JURIST news archive] detention facility has decreased from 84 to 40 since a late-December spike [JURIST report] US military authorities announced [statement, PDF] Friday. Thirty-two of the remaining 40 hunger strikers are currently being force-fed through tubes, a procedure declared humane [American Forces Press report] by medical officials at the facility but disputed by lawyers for the detainees. Meanwhile international criticism of Guantanamo persists, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel [BBC profile] stating in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine published Saturday that Washington should close the prison and find alternative methods for dealing with the current inmates. Merkel's statements reflect strong German skepticism [DS report] about the US "war on terror" which she has vowed to express next week during her first visit to the US since becoming chancellor. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Hitler and Nazis attempt failed coup in Beer Hall Putsch

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party attempted an ill-faited coup in Munich, Germany on November 8, 1923. Instead of seizing power, the conspirators suffered 15 casualties and their leaders were arrested, including Hitler. The future dictator would spend a year in prison as a result, where he would write his infamous Mein Kampf. Learn more about the Beer Hall Putsch.

Oregon legalized physician-assisted suicide

On November 8, 1994, Oregon passed the Death With Dignity Act by voter initiative, becoming the first US state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Read the Death With Dignity Act,

France government opens the Louvre as a public museum

On November 8, 1793, the revolutionary government in France opened the Louvre for the first time as a public museum. Learn more about the history of the Louvre.