Russian rights activists say hundreds more protestors detained before anti-Putin rally News
Russian rights activists say hundreds more protestors detained before anti-Putin rally

[JURIST] Organizers and observers of a Moscow rally [JURIST report] held Saturday by a coalition of opposition parties protesting Russian President Vladimir Putin's increasingly-restrictive rights record [JURIST news archive] were quoted in press reports Sunday as saying that police pulled hundreds of would-be demonstrators off buses heading for the unusual rally even before it took place. Some 320 protestors were said to have been detained ahead of the rally, and dozens were arrested afterward. Authorities said the demonstrators disobeyed police orders to cease yelling and waving signs as they exited a central Moscow square.

The demonstrators belonged to a diverse coalition of parties critical of Putin, including the liberal United Civil Front [party website, in Russian], led by former chess great Garry Kasparov [official website, in Russian]. The protestors eventually numbered about 2000; some 8500 police and security personnel were deployed in Moscow Saturday to counter them. MosNews 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.