Pinochet fingerprints, mug shot taken by Chile police as rights case proceeds News
Pinochet fingerprints, mug shot taken by Chile police as rights case proceeds

[JURIST] Chilean police have taken fingerprints and a mug shot of former dictator Augusto Pinochet [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] as part of his indictment over Operation Colombo [Wikipedia backgrounder], in which at least 119 dissidents were allegedly murdered during the early years of Pinochet’s dictatorship. Nine separate indictments relating to Operation Colombo were joined [JURIST report] earlier this month. Pinochet, 90, insists that all of the deaths occurred as a result of clashes between rival opposition groups. The Supreme Court of Chile [official website, in Spanish] Monday ruled that Pinochet is fit to stand trial [JURIST report], affirming a lower appeals court decision [JURIST report] that Pinochet’s mild dementia, diabetes and arthritis do not hinder his ability to stand trial. Previous charges against the former Chilean leader have been thrown out due to his poor health, but doctors testified before the Supreme Court that Pinochet exaggerated his symptoms to avoid trial. Pinochet has also been indicted on tax evasion and corruption charges [JURIST report] relating to his foreign bank accounts and has been under house arrest since his indictment on November 24. BBC News 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.