Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu must be held fully responsible for this. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. Lech Walesa has openly accused president Obama as unable to lead in world. If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. The new committee declared its immediate aim was an end to the cult of personality which had developed around the Ceauescu family. Central planning in economics leads to a mismatch in prices and a collapse in the economy while a Central Narrative in politics leads to an increased incidence of involuntary rebellion. Are they the people, or are you paying them? You see, there is no use in talking to these people. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. What do you think? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. JUDECATORUL: Va rog sa luati loc. The bill of indictment contains the following points: Genocide, in accordance with Article 356 of the penal code. [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. Fanatics, whom you are paying. I will not answer any question. You were not used to talking to the people. The produce which the peasants grew was exported, and the peasants came from the most remote provinces to Bucharest and to the other cities in order to buy bread. Have you understood them? In fact, his speech on August 21, 1968 in defiance of the military actions taken by Moscow and a few of her allies in Czechoslovakia roused quite a considerable amount of support for not only himself, but for the Patriot Guards as well. I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. Thirty years on, will the guilty pay for horror of Ceauescu orphanages? PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? ELENA CEAUESCU: What genocide? I ask the court, as the plaintiff, to take note that proof has been furnished for all these points, that the two have committed the offenses mentioned. In the second stage their edicts become unenforceable from sheer impracticability. As the crowd becomes more unruly, Ceausescu becomes more confused and he begins arguing with the unseen hecklers. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? They wanted to separate the people from the army. Whatever the reason, the result is that the penalty will raise $27 billion less over the next decade than the CBO had originally expected. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Nicolae Ceauescu refuses to cooperate with the court-appointed counsel for the defense. Why did you starve the people? "This is the final battle," he said. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. But by then there was nowhere to hide. It should be stated once and for all that this military court is absolutely legal and that the former positions of the two Ceausescus are no longer valid. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17U.S.C. All their property will be impounded. What happened? Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e ta.uesku]; 26 January 1918 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary Gener. In the wake of growing tension over an uprising in Timioara in which thousands were reportedly killed, Ceauescu decided to give a nationally televised speech before a crowd in Palace Square . Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. His country passed from traditional monarchy to troubled democracy to royal dictatorship to military control to occupied territory. PROSECUTOR: This would serve your defense. They obstructed the normal process of the economy. Transcript of the closed trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu, https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Transcript_of_the_closed_trial_of_Nicolae_and_Elena_Ceauescu&oldid=6470911, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Because of the crimes they committed against the people, I plead, on behalf of the victims of these two tyrants, for the death sentence for the two defendants. The destruction of buildings and state institutions, undermining of the national economy, in accordance with Articles 165 and 145 of the penal code. PROSECUTOR: Children cannot even buy plain candy, and you are living in the palaces of the people. It is simply an accumulation of multitudes ignoring the official line bit by bit and thereby gradually placing themselves unwittingly in opposition to it. The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli Eight minutes into the speech, some in the crowd actually began to jeer, boo and whistle at hima reaction considered unthinkable for most of Ceauescus 24 years in power. I now ask the court to pass a verdict on the basis of the law, because everybody must receive due punishment for the offenses he has committed. We have sacrificed all our lives to the people. a silent falling away among American allies. Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed 12/25) More Notable Events on December 21: 1997 Detroit Lions Barry Sanders is 3rd to run for 2,000 yards in a season 1991 U.S. actress Jane Fonda marries CNN-director Ted Turner 1989 Dan Quayle sends out 30,000 Xmas cards with word beacon spelled beakon You have information about it. Elena and Nicolae reject this. I have observed that she is not even able to read correctly, but she calls herself an university graduate. Why did you make the peasants starve? You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. Ceausescu sprinkles snow on his wife's head during yet another hunting trip in 1976. Eight minutes into the speech, some in the crowd actually began to scream because there was a shooting that occurred in the background. As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. I will not say anything here. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. In response, Ceauescu raised his right hand in hopes of silencing the crowd; his stunned expression remains one of the defining moments of the end of Communism in Eastern Europe. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. 105). What defamation, what provocations! A tyrant stops knowing the difference. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. The defendant has not recognized us. And so should such reports chill one to the bone. These two defendants procured the most luxurious foodstuffs and clothes from abroad. Defendant, if you had no accounts in Switzerland, will you sign a statement confirming that the money that may be in Switzerland should be transferred to the Romanian state, the State Bank. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. What happened was that he was misled by Centralized Information. Elena says: Look, and that they are calling genocide. ELENA CEAUSESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. CHIEF PROSECUTOR: Esteemed chairman of the court, today we have to pass a verdict on the defendants Nicolae Ceausescu and Elena Ceausescu who have committed the following offenses: Crimes against the people. A photo of a television screen of Nicolae Ceauescu delivering his last public speech from the balcony of the Romanian Communist Party headquarters, 21 December 1989. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. This is a vulgar provocation. The History: Last Speech, Trial and Execution Decades of brutal oppression under the Ceausescu regime came to a head in Timisoara, earlier that same December. Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. Do you want to sign this statement? He was Secre. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? Share . Nicolae Ceauescu had been making speeches for over a couple of decades. Its not that we dont want to respect the commander-in-chief, one told me sadly. I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. A little noticed article in the, notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. The catastrophic situation of the country is known all over the world. He, Elena and four others managed to get to the roof and escaped by helicopter, only seconds ahead of a group of demonstrators who had followed them there.. The next he was a hunted man. One of the first acts of the new leadership was to place the security forces, the dreaded Securitate, under control of the army. Fanatics, whom you are paying. No Way In at Amazon Kindle $8.95, print $9.99. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. By the way, I will not answer any more questions. What should he ask us? If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. Since the old government has been dissolved and Ceausescu has lost his functions, he no longer has the right to be treated as the president. The prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. Bundled in drab winter clothing, she was shoved around by armed guards inside a cold, empty building. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. A lie, a lie in my face. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? CEAUSESCU: I will not answer this question. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. That is why the people are fighting all over the country. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Incredible. ELENA CEAUESCU: How can one tell us something like this? PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. Immediately before them were plainclothes Securitate agents and a row of police militia, who kept the mass of the crowd about thirty meters back from the front of the Central Committee building. Free shipping for many products! ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. You cannot talk to me in such a way! We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. And who brought them into the country? Tax experts say the best it can do is withhold the penalty amount from any tax refund due. PROSECUTOR: Did you hear the charges? Everybody should be paid according to his performance. Fuelled by the events taking place in Berlin (the wall had come down just a few weeks before) and the ripple impact of the weakening Iron Curtain, Romanians had taken to the streets in . No, no, he says. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. Frederich Hayek identified the primary reason why tyrants fall: they rely on the poisoned cup of centralized knowledge. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. Ceauescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? Bucharest television said that they had left the country. At that moment Elena says to Nicolae: Forget about them. For example,the administration recently issued a new list of prisoners to be released from Guantanamo, citing theirpractice of yogaas proof they had reformed. The atmosphere was one of jubilation, and the over-riding feeling among the thousands celebrating in the city centre before the shooting began was one of undiluted triumph. This is not possible. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not answer this question. CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. What do you think? Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? PROSECUTOR: Mr. Chairman, we find the two accused guilty of having committed criminal actions according to the following articles of the penal code: Articles 162, 163, 165 and 357. The Soviet Parliament expressed its approval of the fall of President Ceauescu and sent to the Romanian people a special message of support proposed by President Gorbachev. Furnish proof! He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. What about the accounts? A horse or a hearse? I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. However, they will be indicted, and a sentence will be passed on the basis of the new legal system. You have acted in a very irresponsible manner; you led the country to the verge of ruin and you will be convicted on the basis of the points contained in the bill of indictment. I would not call for the death sentence, but it would be incomprehensible for the Romanian people to have to go on suffering this great misery and not to have it ended by sentencing the two Ceauescus to death. But their triumph was marred by the first confused reports of fresh bloodshed in the early evening following heavy machine-gun fire in Bucharests Republic Square. . Answer this question! You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. By 6 pm, Romanian television was broadcasting live reports of victory rallies attended by thousands in Bucharest. It must be cleared up whether Ceauescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. Ceauescus hated son, Nicu, a one-time candidate to follow his father as the countrys leader, was said to have been arrested in the city of Sibiu as he was trying to take hostages. The palaces belong to the people. No, no, he says. Sudden realizations are like a crash; its not the fact of deceleration that is fatal so much as the suddenness of it. He would be executed a few days later. You told us about it here. Have you understood them? Who are these fanatics? CEAUSESCU: She was not a deputy prime minister, but the first deputy prime minister. Faithless Execution: Building the Political Case for Obamas Impeachment Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu appeared on the balcony of the Central Committee of Comunmunist Party of Romania building, in Bucharest, Romania, on 21 December 1989, and began as he had in years past, with a speech laden with the usual `wooden language`. 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