ICC prosecutor urges UN Security Council to act on Libya situation News
ICC prosecutor urges UN Security Council to act on Libya situation

[JURIST] The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] on Tuesday urged [press release] the UN Security Council [official website] to take action to strengthen the deteriorating security situation in Libya. Fatou Bensouda [official website] expressed her concerns over the recent increases in assassinations, terrorist attacks and targeting of innocent civilians. Bensouda stated, “[t]he international community must be more proactive in exploring solutions in order to tangibly help Libya restore stability and strengthen accountability for Rome Statute crimes.” Bensouda urged the Security Council to call on neighboring member states to aide the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) [official website]. Bensouda also said she would continue to work with UNSMIL to gather further evidence to bring justice for international law violations in Libya.

The Libyan conflict [JURIST backgrounder] has seen the country besieged by violence and destruction. In April UNSMIL strongly condemned [JURIST report] the continuous airstrikes on the town of Zintan, noting a high danger to civilians. One moth earlier UNSMIL had warned the Security Council that the situation in Libya was deteriorating [JURIST report] and the country would likely become unstable without international intervention. Also in March the UN reported that armed groups in Libya deliberately attacked [JURIST report] human rights defenders, killing, torturing and abducting the advocates

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.