Hariri tribunal final draft proposal circulated News
Hariri tribunal final draft proposal circulated

[JURIST] UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel [official profile] has submitted a final draft to the Lebanese government and the UN Security Council of a plans to establish an international tribunal [JURIST report] to investigate the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri [JURIST news archive], according to an unnamed source, who noted that the Security Council could approve the draft by the end of the week. The details of the draft plan are largely unknown, though Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora [BBC profile] was quoted Monday as saying that the draft was final and that it dropped controversial "crimes against humanity" charges. Michel has previously said that any tribunal will likely be held outside of Lebanon [JURIST report], and that factors such as impartiality and safety of witnesses and judges will determine its location.

The UN Security Council voted in June to extend the mandate [press release; JURIST report] of the UN commission [UN materials] probing the Hariri assassination for an additional year, until mid-June 2007. Previous probe reports have implicated Syrian officials in the assassination [JURIST report], where a February 14, 2005 explosion on the Beirut waterfront killed the then-PM along with 22 others. AFP 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.