UN report alleges US torture at Guantanamo News
UN report alleges US torture at Guantanamo

[JURIST] Five United Nations [official website] rights experts have concluded that detainees being held at the US prison base in Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] have been subjected to physical and mental abuse amounting to torture in some cases, according to an unreleased draft report obtained by the Los Angeles Times. The report is the result of an 18-month investigation ordered by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights [official website], and calls on the US to close the facility in Cuba and move the detainees to US soil for trial. Manfred Nowak [official profile, DOC], the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture [official website] and one of the five envoys who worked on the report, explained the conclusion of the report by saying:

We very, very carefully considered all of the arguments posed by the US government. There are no conclusions that are easily drawn. But we concluded that the situation in several areas violates international law and conventions on human rights and torture.

The envoys voiced concern over interrogation techniques including extended solitary confinement, exposure to extreme temperatures, exploitation of religious beliefs, and force-feeding hunger strikers [JURIST report] by brutally inserting nasal tubes. The report has no binding legal effect, but human rights advocates are hoping it carries enough weight to at least strengthen the dialogue about procedures at Guantanamo. Monday's Los Angeles Times 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.