Pinochet indicted on human rights charges News
Pinochet indicted on human rights charges

[JURIST] Former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet [JURIST news archive] was formally charged with human rights violations Thursday and placed under house arrest on the heels of an unrelated indictment on corruption charges [JURIST report] filed Wednesday on which he was granted bail. This time Pinochet has been charged in connection with the kidnapping and disappearance of six dissidents in 1974 after they were arrested by his security officers. The six disappeared in a case known as Operation Colombo [Wikipedia backgrounder] in which 119 people disappeared, some of whose bodies were later found in Argentina. The government claimed at the time that they had been killed by rival groups opposed to Pinochet. Pinochet, 90, was denied bail on this charge after neing declared fit to stand trial [JURIST report] on it earlier this month. According to the government that succeeded Pinochet in 1990, 3,190 people were killed during his regime for political dissent. Over 1,000 others remain unaccounted for after being arrested by his government. 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.