Ethiopia admits to detaining terror suspects but denies secrecy News
Ethiopia admits to detaining terror suspects but denies secrecy

[JURIST] The government of Ethiopia [JURIST news archive] admitted in a statement [text] from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) [official website] Tuesday that it had detained 41 terror suspects and granted foreign investigators access to the detainees for questioning. The admission came after Sweden, Canada, and Eritrea urged [JURIST report] the country to reveal details regarding foreign nationals allegedly detained in secret prisons [JURIST report]. The MFA acknowledged that the suspects came from 17 countries; military courts have ordered the release of 29 of the detainees, and five have already been released. In response to allegations of human rights violations, the Foreign Ministry said

The suspected terrorists have been subject to a process of investigation […] Those found to have engaged in terrorism will be held accountable for their deeds in accordance with legal processes. All this has been done meticulously and scrupulously in conformity with principles of humanitarian law. Any claim to the contrary is pure fabrication and could be easily proven as such.

The statement did not name which countries had a hand in the interrogations, but did confirm that Ethiopian personnel were present during all questionings, and denied charges that the government had acted in secrecy.

Last week Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] reports claimed [JURIST report] that the US, Kenya, and Ethiopia were cooperating with the transitional government of Somalia to detain refugees from the recent conflict there, leading to disclosure of the existence of prisons in which US government agencies have interrogated individuals suspected of having ties to al Qaeda. AP 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.