Military trials set for Canadian, Yemeni Guantanamo detainees News
Military trials set for Canadian, Yemeni Guantanamo detainees

[JURIST] The Pentagon announced Tuesday that military commission trials for two foreign Guantanamo prisoners will begin with plea hearings on January 10 at the Guantanamo Bay [JURIST archive] detention facility without waiting for the US Supreme Court to decide the legality of such tribunals. The Supreme Court has granted certiorari in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld [Duke Law backgrounder; JURIST report], where it will decide whether the president has the power to authorize military commissions for foreign citizens in the war on terror. The two detainees whose trials have been scheduled are Canadian Omar Ahmed Kadhr, charged [Pentagon charge sheet, PDF] last month with murder, and Yemeni Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul, charged [Pentagon charge sheet, PDF] in 2004 with conspiracy. The charges were approved [DoD press release] by the Department of Defense early last month. Nine Guantanamo Bay detainees have so far been charged with war crimes ; the trials of three other charged detainees, including David Hicks [JURIST report], are currently under judicial stay until the resolution of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. Reuters has more.

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.