Lithuania foreign minister resigns amid disagreement over secret CIA prisons News
Lithuania foreign minister resigns amid disagreement over secret CIA prisons

[JURIST] Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas [official profile] resigned [press release] Thursday in the midst of a dispute with President Dalia Grybauskaite [official profile] over secret US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) [official website] secret prisons [JURIST news archive] in the country. Grybauskaite has publicly said that she believes there were prisoners held in Lithuania, but Usackas has denied this. The dispute follows a parliamentary report [JURIST report] that found that the CIA had been provided two facilities in Lithuania to interrogate al Qaeda [JURIST news archives] suspects. Usackas has maintained [EUobserver report] that no prisoners were actually held at the locations. On Wednesday, Grybauskaite had urged [press release] Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius to dismiss Usackas because he had lost the President's confidence and trust.

In December, the Lithuanian Parliament [official website, in Lithuanian] National Security Committee reported that the CIA had established secret prisons for al Qaeda suspects in the Baltic country. Lawmakers demanded the investigation [JURIST report] in October after ABC News reported in August that former CIA officials said that Lithuania provided the CIA with facilities [ABC News report] for a secret prison for high-value al Qaeda suspects in order to improve relations with the US. The parliamentary committee concluded that the Lithuanian State Security Department provided the CIA with two secret facilities [AP report], but it is unclear whether either facility was used to interrogate detainees. The committee uncovered no evidence that former president Valdus Adamkus and former prime minister Algirdas Brazauskas, who were both in office during the specified time period, were told about the secret detention centers.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.