US bans cruel treatment of detainees by worldwide personnel in policy shift News
US bans cruel treatment of detainees by worldwide personnel in policy shift

[JURIST] US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [official profile] announced [transcript] Wednesday that the US has changed its policy on the interrogations of detainees, and will impose a worldwide ban on US personnel subjecting prisoners to cruelty, citing obligations under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) [text]. The ban marks a staunch policy shift toward the international treaty, which prohibits cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, and follows strong pressure from Europe and the US Congress. The announcement is a surprise as Rice was expected to tell Europe [JURIST report] to back off its criticisms of US interrogation policy. The Bush administration had previously interpreted the convention to apply only to US territory, a loophole that human rights groups have said the US has exploited to mistreat prisoners in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. The new policy was announced during Rice's trip to Ukraine and marks an important concession in US domestic politics. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a former Vietnam prisoner of war, has mounted pressure on the administration to close the loophole with his proposed anti-torture amendment [JURIST document], which was approved [JURIST report] 90-9 in the Senate and later unanimously reaffirmed [JURIST report]. The White House has previously said it would veto any bill to which the amendment is attached. 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.

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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.

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