Three Bahrain prisoners executed for killing policemen News
Three Bahrain prisoners executed for killing policemen

Three men were executed [Bahrain News Agency report] by firing squad in Bahrain on Sunday after being convicted of killing three policemen in March 2014. The execution came a week after a the high court upheld their sentence, leading to the first documented execution in Bahrain in six years. The executions have been controversial and heavily critized, especially because of the fact that all the three men were Shia. The execution sparked several protests in Shia villages and several policemen were wounded in the clashes between police and protesters. The human rights organization Reprieve [advocacy website] has further warned that the executions were based on confessions obtained through torture of the three men.

Bahrain has faced growing international concerns about its human rights practices in later years. In September 2016, 32 nations joined a statement read to the UN Human Rights Council [official website] urging Bahrain [JURIST report] to protect its citizens’ freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression and rights to a fair trial. In November 2016, Amnesty International [advocacy website] critized Bahrain [JURIST report] for not taking adequate steps to stop unlawful killings, torture and human rights violations that has been committed by Bahrain’s secury forces. There has especially been concern over Bahrain’s treatment of its minority Shia population. In August 2016 a group of UN human rights experts expressed concerns [JURIST report] that the human rights of the Shia population were being suppressed, as they were often unfairly charged with with illegal gathering, inciting hatred against the regime, money laundering and acts of terrorism.

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.