Rice to defend US treatment, transport of detainees as ACLU readies CIA suit News
Rice to defend US treatment, transport of detainees as ACLU readies CIA suit

[JURIST] US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [official website] is expected to deliver a stern message to leaders in Europe when she heads there Monday, telling them in effect to "back off" from their criticism of US treatment of terror suspects and the existence of alleged secret CIA prisons. Rice, who has been largely silent on the detainee issues, will address officials in Germany, at the EU headquarters in Brussels, and will also stop in Romania, which has denied that it hosts a secret prison. She is expected to remind European allies that they are also partners in the war on terror, and that the US does not violate international laws. Reuters has more.

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [official website] says it is preparing to file a lawsuit against the CIA on behalf of a man allegedly taken to a secret CIA prison in Afghanistan, charging that "CIA officials at the highest level violated US and universal human rights law when they authorized agents to abduct and [detain] an innocent man". 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.