Rights group accuses Israel of war crimes through white phosphorous use News
Rights group accuses Israel of war crimes through white phosphorous use

[JURIST] A fact finding team for human rights group Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy group] on Monday accused Israel of war crimes [press release], citing the use of white phosphorous [GlobalSecurity backgrounder] in the midst of a dense civilian population. White phosphorous is a highly explosive substance that can burn into human skin and muscle and can cause serious wounds as well as death. The fact finding team found still-burning particles of the substance near residential buildings and in streets and alleyways. Israel has maintained that all the weapons employed during their three-week siege in Gaza are within the scope of what is allowed by international law. Both the UN and Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] have already called for Israel to stop firing white phosphorus shells [HRW press release] in Gaza. AI has said that Israel's continued use of the substance despite awareness of its effects constitutes a war crime.

Last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official profile] said that the ICC has no jurisdiction [JURIST report] to investigate possible war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. Moreno-Ocampo's statement came after calls by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) [advocacy website] for the UN Security Council [official website] to refer Israel to the ICC [press release] for an investigation. Moreno-Ocampo said the court currently lacks jurisdiction over Israel because it is not a member state.

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.