Guantanamo suicides spark renewed calls for release of Saudi detainees News
Guantanamo suicides spark renewed calls for release of Saudi detainees

[JURIST] The suicides of three detainees [JURIST report], two Saudis and a Yemeni, at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] on Saturday prompted Saudi Interior Ministry officials to renew calls on Sunday for all Saudi prisoners to be released from the military camp and returned to Saudi Arabia where they can face charges. The US, which freed 15 Saudis from Guantanamo [JURIST report] last month, has faced increasing criticism from the United Nations [JURIST report], other countries and human rights groups about detainees' continued imprisonment at the camp. A lawyer for the Saudi detainees denounced the imprisonment at Guantanamo without charges, characterizing the detainees' treatment as "oppression and injustice."

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Harry Harris, the chief commander at Guantanamo, called the suicides an "act of warfare" [Telegraph report] against the US that were planned to elicit sympathy. According to US military officials, there have been 41 suicide attempts by 23 inmates since Guantanamo opened. Reuters 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.