Detainees allege forced drugging during US interrogations News
Detainees allege forced drugging during US interrogations

[JURIST] At least two dozen former and current detainees have alleged that they were either forcibly administered drugs or witnessed the forceful administration of drugs on other detainees while in US custody, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The detainees, held at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] and other sites, said in interviews and court documents that they did not know what drugs they were given, but that they believed they were intended to make detainees more pliant during interrogation. The Pentagon and the CIA have both denied using drugs for that purpose, but accusations have been fueled by the release of a 2003 DOJ memorandum [PDF text; JURIST report] earlier this month endorsing the use of drugs in interrogations. The Washington Post has more.

The DOJ memo showed that the department approved a wide range of interrogation methods for the military to use – the same broad limits that the DOJ had earlier approved for the CIA. The 81-page memo was later rescinded.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.