Russia journalist murder suspects acquitted News
Russia journalist murder suspects acquitted

[JURIST] The Moscow Military District Court on Friday acquitted three men suspected of being involved in the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya [BBC obituary; JURIST news archive]. The three men, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, were released [RIA Novosti report] after a jury on Thursday found the evidence against them insufficient for a conviction [RIA Novosti report]. Colonel Pavel Ryaguzov has also been acquitted for charges related to the case. The judge in the case, Yevgeniy Zubov, has ordered a new investigation [BBC report] into Politkovskaya's murder, and prosecutors have 10 days to appeal the verdict. 

A lawyer for one of the accused alleged Tuesday that prosecutors had fabricated evidence [JURIST report] and pointed to other irregularities in the evidence including a lost DVD with security camera footage and claims of other prosecutorial misconduct. Since the trial began in October, judge Yevgeniy Zubov has closed and then opened the proceedings to the public three times [JURIST news archive], citing juror security concerns and the presentation of classified information. After Thursday's jury finding, Amnesty International [advocacy website] urged Russian authorities to continue the investigation [press release].

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.