Lawyer says Kuwait has no jurisdiction to try former Gitmo inmate News
Lawyer says Kuwait has no jurisdiction to try former Gitmo inmate

[JURIST] A lawyer for the first Kuwaiti inmate to be freed [JURIST report] from the Guantanamo Bay detention center [JTF Guantanamo official website] argued before a Kuwait City tribunal Wednesday that his client should not be tried in Kuwaiti court and complained he was only given a summary of US interrogations. Nasser al-Mutairi was detained in Afghanistan in 2001 and freed after being held for three years. Following his release in January, al-Mutairi was charged for his involvement with foreign military forces without his country's permission, harming Kuwait by serving a "foreign country" and undergoing banned weapons training. Al-Mutairi's lawyer argued that Kuwait's criminal court system does not have jurisdiction because the alleged crimes were not committed in Kuwait and were not punishable in Afghanistan at the time. If convicted, al-Mutairi faces a minimum of three years in prison. AP has more. For information on other Kuwaiti detainees, visit Project Kuwaiti Freedom [advocacy website], sponsored by the Kuwaiti Family Committee.

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.