Libya leader says Saddam remains legal Iraqi president News
Libya leader says Saddam remains legal Iraqi president

[JURIST] Libyan leader Colonel Muhamar Gaddafi [BBC profile] has declared that Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] remains the legal leader of Iraq, citing the US-led invasion of the country as "a war waged against the wishes of the United Nations." In an interview with an Italian television news program, Gaddafi, who having gained power in 1969 is the Arab world's longest serving leader, claimed that Saddam is a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention [text] and cannot be tried.

Gaddafi also condemned the practice of removing heads of state by sending in international troops, saying that other leaders, including himself, could be next. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.