Tribunal questions Saddam on 1982 massacre, releases interrogation video News
Tribunal questions Saddam on 1982 massacre, releases interrogation video

[JURIST] The Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST) [official website] said Monday that an Iraqi investigatory judge has questioned former dictator Saddam Hussein regarding the killing of nearly 160 men in the predominantly-Shiite village of Dujail, a case identified last week [JURIST report] as the first on which Hussein might be tried. The village was the site of an assassination attempt on Saddam prior to the killings. The IST Monday also released video footage of a haggared-looking Saddam and other members of his government being questioned by presiding judge Raad Jouhi in a court session believed to have taken place Sunday. Although Iraqi officials would like to start Saddam's trial in the next few months, the IST has not set a timetable [IST press release], not has it specified the exact charges for any such proceeding. Reuters 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.