US military reports over 10,000 Iraq detainees released so far in 2008 News
US military reports over 10,000 Iraq detainees released so far in 2008

[JURIST] The US military said Saturday that it has released over 10,000 Iraqi detainees [JURIST news archive] this past year. Gen. David H. Petraeus [official profile] was quoted by AP as saying the releases are part of a program to prepare detainees for re-integration into society. Petraeus also said the recidivism rate for released detainees is less than 1 percent. The announcement comes after a similar statement [JURIST report] made last month that 9,000 detainees had been released thusfar in 2008. AP has more.

Coalition detention practices have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months. In July, Iraqi Foreign Minister Moshyar Zebarai [BBC profile] indicated that disagreements between the US and Iraq, including disagreements over detainees, are still blocking a permanent Status of Forces Agreement [JURIST report] between the two countries. In June, Physicians for Human Rights released a report purporting to substantiate claims of abuse and torture [JURIST report] by detainees held in US prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archives].

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.