New ICTY prosecutor reaffirms pledge to arrest top war crimes fugitives News
New ICTY prosecutor reaffirms pledge to arrest top war crimes fugitives

[JURIST] New International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz [ICC profile; JURIST report] reiterated in a Sunday interview with Serbian news site B92.net [media website] that he will do everything in his power to ensure that fugitive Bosnian Serb leaders Ratko Mladic [BBC profile; ICTY indictment] and Radovan Karadzic [BBC profile; ICTY indictment] are arrested as soon as possible. In January, Brammertz said that finding and prosecuting Balkan war crimes suspects would be a top priority [JURIST report] under his leadership. Mladic and Karadzic are believed to have masterminded the 1995 Srebrenica massacre [BBC timeline, JURIST news archive] in which 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed. EUObserver has more.

Brammertz took over the court's leadership in January, saying that he would continue his predecessor's tough stance on Serbian cooperation [JURIST report] with the tribunal. Former chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte [JURIST news archive] had long criticized Serbia for its apparent reluctance to cooperate with the ICTY. The EU has made Serbia's cooperation with the ICTY a key element of its membership negotiations [EU accession materials].

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.