Canada ‘abandoned’ Khadr in Guantanamo: Amnesty International News
Canada ‘abandoned’ Khadr in Guantanamo: Amnesty International

[JURIST] Amnesty International [advocacy website] accused the government of Canada of having "abandoned" its citizen in Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] in an open letter [text] Thursday to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The letter urged Harper to press the US for the repatriation of Omar Khadr [JURIST news archive], the sole Canadian in custody at the US military prison. Khadr has been detained since he was arrested in 2002 at age 15. He allegedly threw a grenade that killed one US soldier and wounded another while fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Last week, a US military judge dropped all charges against Khadr [JURIST report] before a military commission. Khadr nonetheless remains in custody while the appellate process is debated [JURIST report].

Amnesty said Canada had failed to follow the lead of other Western nations in demanding answers to allegations of humans rights abuses at the prison. The letter was signed by more than a hundred academics and endorsed by 25 current and former Canadian politicians, including former Conservative prime minister Joe Clark and former Liberal Party foreign affairs ministers Bill Graham and Lloyd Axworthy. Current Minister of International Trade David Emerson called the repatriation case for Khadr "premature". CBC News 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.