US to release 100 Guantanamo detainees once safe destinations are found News
US to release 100 Guantanamo detainees once safe destinations are found

[JURIST] The US State Department [official website] has said the US intends to release 100 prisoners from Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] as soon as it identifies countries that will accept them. Speaking at the US embassy in Paris on Thursday, State Department official Sandra Hodgkinson said that the prisoners will be sent to their countries of origin provided that the US receives assurances that they will be monitored and will not suffer torture. According to Hodgkinson, 15 of the 250 prisoners already released have already returned to combat. Earlier this week, the Pentagon released a list of Guantanamo detainees [JURIST document] who had completed the Combatant Status Review Tribunal process.

The US government has refused to release 16 Uighur Muslims to China [JURIST report] for fear that they will be tortured because of their faith. Last week, the US asked Germany to accept the Uighurs [JURIST report], but Chancellor Angela Merkel [BBC profile] is wary that the move would alienate China. IOL 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.