Transcripts reveal names, details of Guantanamo detainees News
Transcripts reveal names, details of Guantanamo detainees

[JURIST] Identities and details concerning the cases and treatment of some 60 Guantanamo detainees [AP names list] have emerged from thousands of pages of transcribed documentation filed by detainees' lawyers in US District Court in Washington, where lawsuits challenging the detentions of terror suspects are now being heard. In a pivotal case last June [Hamdi opinion], the US Supreme Court [official website] ruled that detainees could challenge their detention in federal court. The transcripts were made during hearings of the Combatant Status Review Tribunals [DOD backgrounder; background briefing] set up by the US military after ruling to determine which detainees were properly classified as "enemy combatants" who could be detained indefinitely. Some of the transcripts reflect co-operation, and others defiance. Review the transcripts and other legal papers filed by the 60 detainees who have now been named. AP 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.