Spain judge upholds genocide charges against 7 Morocco officials News
Spain judge upholds genocide charges against 7 Morocco officials

[JURIST] A judge in Spain decided on Friday that genocide charges against seven former and current Moroccan officials, who are accused of committing torture and killings in the Western Sahara from 1975-91, are justified. In his ruling, Judge Pablo Ruz asked that the men be extradited [AP report] to Spain to face a trial. According to his ruling, some of the victims have Spanish identification cards because they lived in Western Sahara while it was still a Spanish colony. The ruling said victims were beaten, burned, electrocuted and sexually assaulted by Moroccan officials after Spain left the colony and Morocco annexed it and began fighting against the pro-independence group Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (Polisario Front) [advocacy website, in Spanish]. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Maria did not comment on whether they would seek extradition of the officials, who include current security officers.

Morocco has occupied the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara, native home to the Sahrawi, since 1975. Polisario has encouraged the expansion of the presence of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) [official website] in the region, especially for human rights monitoring, but Morocco has opposed any such plans as infringements on its sovereignty [JURIST report]. Only 45 UN member states currently recognize the autonomy of the Western Sahara state, known as Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), even in a limited capacity. SADR is not recognized by the UN, although it has approved more than 100 resolutions supporting the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi people. In 1991 the UN Security Council [official profile] established [SC resolution, PDF] MINURSO in accordance with the Secretary General’s plan for the implementation of the settlement [report, PDF] between Morocco and Polisario. In April the Security Council extended MINURSO’s mission [UN News Centre report] through April 30, 2015, as no referendum on the independence of SADR has yet been held.

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.