DOD transfers 15 detainees from Guantanamo Bay News
DOD transfers 15 detainees from Guantanamo Bay

[JURIST] The US Defense Department said Wednesday that 15 detainees have been transferred [press release] from Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive], bringing the total number of detainees released from the US detention facility to approximately 485. Thirteen detainees were transferred to Afghanistan, and the other two were transferred to Sudan.

The total number of Guantanamo detainees eligible for transfer is now about 70, and the DOD said Wednesday that "departure of these detainees is subject to ongoing discussions between the United States and other nations." In August, US President George W. Bush expressed hope that the Guantanamo detention facility would eventually be shut down [JURIST report], but said that other countries have shown reluctance to accept detainees. Roughly 290 detainees remain at the prison facility, and the US has said that some 80 detainees will face prosecution by military commission. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.