Uzbek militants charged in coup attempt News
Uzbek militants charged in coup attempt

[JURIST] Uzbekistan [official website, English version] deputy state prosecutor Anvar Nabiyev on Thursday named 15 men who will stand trial next week for trying to overthrow the Uzbek government. The men, who allegedly organized disturbances in the town of Andijan [JURIST report] in May 2005, face charges including shooting hostages, forcing civilians to take part in an anti-government protest and membership in banned extremist groups. Nabiyev also listed specific sites in neighboring Kyrgyzstan where he said the militants had trained for the uprising, and implied that the Kyrgyz government had knowledge of these plans. BBC News has more. The Uzbekistan National News Agency has local coverage.

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.