Saddam trial expected to trigger upsurge in Iraq violence News
Saddam trial expected to trigger upsurge in Iraq violence

[JURIST] Sunday's announcement [JURIST report] that the Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website; JURIST news archive] has charged former dictator Saddam Hussein in connection with the 1982 killing of some 150 Shiites in the village of Dujail [NPR report] and statements by chief investigating judge Raed Jouhi that a date for the trial would be set within days have prompted concerns that insurgent violence will only increase as the trial gets underway. Though US officials continue to hope that Hussein's trial and possible execution will help bring a sense of finality to a dictatorship that included torture and mass killings, many Iraqis living in fear of suicide attacks by Sunni fighters and former members of Saddam's regime believe more instability is the more likely result. Reuters 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.