Egypt to release detained Sudanese refugees News
Egypt to release detained Sudanese refugees

[JURIST] Egyptian officials have said that 143 Sudanese refugees, detained by Cairo police after a three-month sit-in protest was forcibly broke up, will be released. As many 600 other Sudanese refugees, some of whom hail from the war torn region of Darfur [JURIST news archive], face deportation by Egyptian Foreign Ministry [official website, in Arabic] for their alleged role in the demonstration, an incident that resulted in the death of at least 28 people. The release of the detained refugees by Egypt follows pressure from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [official website], which urged Cairo [JURIST report] to release and not deport the prisoners. The UNHCR has also received assurances [UNHCR news release] from Cairo that the government will refrain from deporting any Sudanese accused of involvement in the demonstration until each case can be fully investigated on an individual basis. AFP 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.