German ex-chancellor accused of ‘abandoning’ German-born Gitmo detainee News
German ex-chancellor accused of ‘abandoning’ German-born Gitmo detainee

[JURIST] Members of a German parliamentary committee investigating the detention of German-born Turk Murat Kurnaz [Wikipedia profile] at Guantanamo Bay alleged Thursday that the government of German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder [BBC profile] allowed him to remain a prisoner for years, even after US officials offered to release him into German custody. Kurnaz, arrested by US officials in Pakistan shortly after 9/11, was held at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] from 2002 to 2006; he was released this past August in response to repeated appeals to US authorities by current German Chancellor Angela Merkel [official website, in German; BBC profile].

Kurnaz has alleged he suffered abuse and torture [Deutsche Welle report] as a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Various German party political leaders are calling for Schroeder to face the legal consequences of his alleged complicity in allowing Kurnaz to languish in the detention facility for so long. Schroeder's Social Democrat party rejects the allegations. Kurnaz's lawyer acknowledges that a Greens party official responded to the release offer in 2001, but Kurnaz's Turkish citizenship made it difficult for the government to arrange for his release. 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.