US asks Germany to take Chinese Guantanamo detainees: report News
US asks Germany to take Chinese Guantanamo detainees: report

[JURIST] German Chancellor Angela Merkel [BBC profile] has been asked by the US government to accept a group of Chinese Uighur detainees currently being held [JURIST report] at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive], according to a report in Friday's Die Welt [media website, in German] newspaper. The US asked Germany to take the detainees because the country already has a group of refugee Uighurs living in Bavaria, but Germany is reportedly reticent to accept the Uighurs for fear of alienating China. Merkel, who has not responded to the report, called on President Bush to shut down the military prison [JURIST report] at Guantanamo Bay before she visited the US in January.

In December, US District Court Judge James Robertson ruled [opinion, PDF] that the Uighurs' detention was illegal, but authorized their continued detention because they could be tortured if released to China due to their Muslim faith [HRW report]. Lawyers for the detainees have appealed directly to the Supreme Court [JURIST report] bypassing the federal appeals court, saying only the high court can resolve the case. AFP 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.