27 June 1986: US guilty of backing Contras

United States has been found guilty of violating international law

The United States has been found guilty of violating international law by supporting armed Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

The International Court of Justice ruled that the US should compensate the country, although it has not yet fixed an amount.

But the Reagan administration has boycotted the case and says it will ignore the verdict of the United Nations court.

In the US there have been demonstrations against a vote by Congress in favour of aid to the Contras.

About 40 people were arrested during a protest in Minneapolis, and in Cleveland a group of demonstrators lay on the pavement to block the entrance to the federal building. {read more}