CHIEF PROSECUTOR: Esteemed chairman of the court, today we have to pass a verdict on the defendants Nicolae Ceauescu and Elena Ceauescu who have committed the following offenses: crimes against the people. The day began as it ended with vehement anti-Ceauescu demonstrations. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. PROSECUTOR: This would serve your defense. [2], Ceauescu appeared on the balcony of the Central Committee building and began as he had in years past, with a speech laden with the usual "wooden language." I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. What defamation, what provocations! Teams of doctors with emergency medical supplies were being flown in from Geneva last night. We have data concerning both of them. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. 20072021 Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media NICOLAE CEAUESCU: What an obscene 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. 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. They used to fetch people from orphans' homes or from abroad whom they trained in special institutions to become murderers of their own people. 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. The front rows of the assembly were made up of low-level Communist Party officials and members who acted as cheer-leaders. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? "This is the final battle," he said. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. This was a coup d'etat. The administrations threats, so dire on paper, are toothless in practice because they actually cant afford to carry out the threat. One of the first acts of the new leadership was to place the security forces, the dreaded Securitate, under control of the army. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. They carried out acts that are incompatible with human dignity and social thinking; they acted in a despotic and criminal way; they destroyed the people whose leaders they claimed to be. We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. You have information about it. His 1936 mugshot at age 18 still haunts the internet. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. The details are known. What prevents him from doing so? Sections in italic type are from Austrian television comentary: NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I only recognize the Grand National Assembly. 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. What do you say as a citizen? Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. They wanted to separate the people from the army. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not answer, I will only answer questions before the Grand National Assembly. They were not really interested in the people. ELENA CEAUSESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. 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. Now the counsel for the defense, who was appointed by the court, asks whether Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu know the aforementioned facts -- that he is no longer president, that she has lost all official functions. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. Furnish proof! The Defence Minister, General Vasile Milea, was said to have committed suicide although it is equally possible he was shot by a member of the Ceauescu retinue. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. 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. 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. I will not answer you putschists, Ceauescu says. One in four of the population is believed to have a member. Machine guns splattered against a background of church bells ringing in triumph. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. One momentCeauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. You have information about it. 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`. The process usually follows this path. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? Yet there is a big difference between grousing, which is endemic to the military, and actual rebellion. You need not admit your mistakes, mister. 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.. Nobody has the right to abolish the Grand National Assembly. He always claimed to act and speak on behalf of the people, to be a beloved son of the people, but he only tyrannized the people all the time. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. "Video of Ceausescus Last Speech, December 1989," Making the History of 1989, Item #696, https://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/696 (accessed May 28 2021, 3:24 pm). No one can ask Bergdahl, since he is now reported as being unable to speak to anyone including his family. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? The following is a transcript of the closed trial of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceauescu and his wife, Elena, as shown on Romanian and Austrian television. He refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. Nobody has opened an account. PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 [English Subtitles] Transcrierea discursului lui Ceauescu: 01:08 Nicolae Ceauescu: Dragi tovari. They organized the putsch. A tyrant stops knowing the difference. We want a legal trial. What defamation, what provocations! We have sufficient data on this period. I will only speak in front of it. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. The National Salvation Front is now our supreme body. They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. You told us about it here. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. He answers: I am the president of Romania, and I am the commander in chief of the Romanian army. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. It gave no further details. I do not recognize the court. Its not that we dont want to respect the commander-in-chief, one told me sadly. The prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. All the world should know what is going on here. He also refuses to recognize the new forum. Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. The recent Bergdahl prisoner swap in which five hardened Taliban terrorists were released from prison is rubbing a lot of the military veterans attending D-Day events the wrong way. Its just that he makes it so hard to do so.. CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. Decembrie 25 1989 - Garnizoana Tirgoviste. I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. You see, there is no use in talking to these people. Nicolae Ceausescu delivers his last public speech in Bucharest on December 21, 1989. As a result, the prosecutor says: Elena has always been talkative, but otherwise she does not know much. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. CEAUSESCU: Is it possible that we are facing such charges? Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? The crimes against the people grew year by year. ELENA CEAUESCU: The intelligentsia of the country will hear what you are accusing us of. CEAUSESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. 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. However, why are your programs not implemented? Elena and Nicolae reject this. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: What? This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. It is surpassingly perilous not only for the country, but also for the ruler who relies on it. In 1947, King Michael showed more dignity than you. However, there is a difference between real sickness that must be treated and mental insanity which leads to corresponding actions, but which is denied by the person in question. PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. CEAUSESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. For example,the administration recently issued a new list of prisoners to be released from Guantanamo, citing theirpractice of yogaas proof they had reformed. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. Nobody has the right to abolish the Grand National Assembly. The final speech of the prosecutor follows: PROSECUTOR: It is very difficult for us to act, to pass a verdict on people who even now do not want to admit to the criminal offenses that they have committed during 25 years and admit to the genocide, not only in Timisoara and Bucharest, but primarily also to the criminal offenses committed during the past 25 years. Suntem in fata unui tribunal al poporului. PROSECUTOR: Note - He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content. Bucharests Broadcasting House was the main source of information yesterday for Romanians about the countrys liberation and the means by which politicians, military officers and dissidents tried to influence the situation. As a result, the prosecutor says: Elena has always been talkative, but otherwise she does not know much. Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. Ceausescu refused to answer. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: The accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. 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. But rebellion begins involuntarily, at the Hayekian level. They are not only accused of offenses committed during the past few days, but of offenses committed during the past 25 years. But by then there was nowhere to hide. What do you say as a citizen? Richard III of England rode into Bosworth Field relying on his ally Baron Stanely to come to his aid. You, as a scientist, did you know about it? The story ofCeauescus final speech is a textbook example. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. Elena keeps whispering to him. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. As a simple citizen, I tell you the following: For the first time I guaranteed that every peasant received 200 kilograms of wheat per person, not per family, and that he is entitled to more. Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. 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. The prosecutor quotes Ceauescu, Ceauescu's program. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. Robert Ford, the former US ambassador to Syria, has effectively accused the Obama administration of abandoning genuinely pro-American rebels in Syria thereby allowing the ascendance of al-Qaeda. PROSECUTOR: Whether you have ever had a mental illness. If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. Getting a shut-off notice from a utility is also sufficient to claim a hardship exemption. I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. Some people will continue to believe the narrative, but even among the acolytes, the fatal smoke of doubt has entered the temple. In response, the two laugh, and she says: We do not stay abroad. JUDECATORUL: Va rog sa luati loc. I will not say anything here. A caretaker government was announced within an hour of the dictators capture. The charges are incorrect, and I will not answer a single question here. He would be executed a few days later. Watching the "Video of Ceausescu's Last Speech" on the Making the History of 1989 website, a speech which Nikolae Ceausescu made on 21 December 1989, I was curious to see what the disturbance was that so rattled Ceausescu because by the end of the speech it appears a semblance of order had returned. PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. By the way, I will not answer any more questions. Storm Over The South China Sea Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. . Who are these fanatics? The new committee declared its immediate aim was an end to the cult of personality which had developed around the Ceauescu family. Thousands of workers were bused into the square under threat of being fired. PROSECUTOR: Yes, but you are paying the mercenaries. Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway That is why the people are fighting all over the country. Rebranding Christianity (The World of Information) , the former US ambassador to Syria, has effectively accused the Obama administration of abandoning genuinely pro-American rebels in Syria thereby allowing the ascendance of al-Qaeda. I have observed that she is not even able to read correctly, but she calls herself an university graduate. Those moments of Ceausescus weakness and the power of popular pressure explain why, a mere 48 hours later, Ceausescu was attempting to flee Romania, all power lost. This page was last modified on 10 April 2016, at 21:40. The notorious programme of razing villages in the countryside would be halted. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu should be punished in a really legal trial. I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. This occurs when the official line becomes so ridiculous that ordinary people dont even realize they are falling out of step with the Party Line. PROSECUTOR: Who gave the order to shoot in Bucharest, for instance? One day Obama may wake up and find the alliances just gone. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceausescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. Video of Ceausescu's Last Speech, December 1989 Annotation One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). PROSECUTOR: Did you hear the charges? If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. The War of the Words for $3.99, Understanding the crisis of the early 21st century in terms of information corruption in the financial, security and political spheres I have done everything to create a decent and rich life for the people in the country, like in no other country in the world. He then tried to placate the crowd by offering to raise workers' salaries by 200 lei per month (about 18 U.S. dollars at the time, yet a 10%-20% raise for a modest salary) and student scholarships from 100 to 110 lei while continuing to praise the achievements of the past 42 years. 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 speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to ensure both success and the appearance of popular support. And we will not betray our people here. Elena keeps whispering to him. PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. At that moment Elena says to Nicolae: Forget about them. In addition, the law forbids the IRS from using its normal enforcement tools to collect unpaid penalties. 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 ELENA CEAUESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. Centralized regimes may seem to collapse suddenly, yet in reality they have been coming apart for a long time. Do you want to sign this statement? Witnesses saw scores of people shot down in the centre of Bucharest in the evening and around the burning royal palace where the Ceauescu family had made their home. CEAUSESCU: No, we will not sign. You cannot talk to me in such a way! ELENA CEAUESCU: I will not answer. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. Workers, military units and other popular organizations were bused to the capitol and given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly -- no one else. As a simple citizen, I tell you the following: For the first time I guaranteed that every peasant received 200 kilograms of wheat per person, not per family, and that he is entitled to more. No one wanted to do anything for you anymore. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. CEAUSESCU: I repeat: I am the president of Romania and the commander in chief of the Romanian army. . I just couldnt convince myself to do it., He is not alone. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. CEAUSESCU: No, no. Its provisional leader is the 73-year-old former Foreign Minister, Mr Corneliu Mnescu. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceauescu. The great Ceauescu escape attempt came after it had become clear that most of the army had gone over to the people. Ceausescu sprinkles snow on his wife's head during yet another hunting trip in 1976. This page was last edited on 8 October 2016, at 23:48. I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. No, no, he says. These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. 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. As hard as it may be to believe, there was a time when . PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! ELENA CEAUESCU: Accounts in Switzerland? 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. [1], His security guard appeared, disappeared and, finally, hustled Ceauescu off the balcony. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. An important historical square located on Victoriei Street. They are not only accused of offenses committed during the past few days, but of offenses committed during the past 25 years. They used to fetch people from orphans' homes or from abroad whom they trained in special institutions to become murderers of their own people. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. Ceauescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality ELENA CEAUSESCU: How can one tell us something like this? They not only deprived the people of heating, electricity, and foodstuffs, they also tyrannized the soul of the Romanian people. When the crisis comes the Leader Maximus discovers to his absolute surprise that all support has vanished. Like a jalopy falling apart on the road, dropping a screw here and a spring there, the Obama administration is gradually shaking itself to pieces. I will not answer any question. CEAUSESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. Romanian demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest during the 1989 anti-communist revolution, 22 December 1989. 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. Paper is patient. I am the president of the people. They are cowards. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Such impudence! 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. VIENNA, Austria (AP) _ For the first time that anybody could remember, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu was interrupted at a public speech by boos and jeers that began a huge demonstration against him in Bucharest Thursday. Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e ta.uesku]; 26 January 1918 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary Gener. The trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu was held on 25 December 1989 by an Exceptional Military Tribunal, a drumhead court-martial created at the request of a newly formed group called the National Salvation Front. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? At some point the entire structure of governance becomes a system of workarounds with all real power devolved to the man on the ground. We are all equal. 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. PROSECUTOR: So far, they have always claimed that we have built this country, we have paid our debts, but with this they bled the country to death and have hoarded enough money to ensure their escape. And the next moment he was lying in the dust. KGB technicians and agents made one of the most brilliant moves and played a recording of whistles and protests through installed speakers in the square. Another question to Ceauescu: Who ordered the bloodbath in Timisoara. He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times. The palaces belong to the people. ELENA CEAUESCU: We will not sign any statement. The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. However, they will be indicted, and a sentence will be passed on the basis of the new legal system. We want a legal trial. Why did you starve the people? The next he was a hunted man. 23 December 1989: Nicolae Ceauescus overthrow follows a week of carnage in which thousands of protesters against his regime were killed in cold blood. 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. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. Free elections would be held as soon as possible, and independent media would be established. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. 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. Frederich Hayek identified the primary reason why tyrants fall: they rely on the poisoned cup of centralized knowledge. A flight into peril, flashbacks to underground action. Ceausescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. Ford said of his resignation,I was no longer in a position where I felt I could defend the American policy. Sooner or later inability to credit yoga or videos produced in Los Angeles as actual factors becomes more and more widespread. What about the accounts? They wanted to separate the people from the army. You have destroyed the Romanian villages and the Romanian soil. One moment Ceauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. Ceausescu's last speech was interrupted but not by the shouts of the masses. The catastrophic situation of the country is known all over the world. Ti-mi-oa-ra! This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. Print. A horse or a hearse? But who gave the order to shoot? PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. A lie, a lie in my face. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. One announcer called it the heart of our nation. PROSECUTOR: Esteemed Mr. Chairman, I have been one of those who, as a lawyer, would have liked to oppose the death sentence, because it is inhuman. Soon afterwards, Bucharest television reported that Mr Ceauescu and his wife were no longer in the country. They obstructed the normal process of the economy. PROSECUTOR: Who gave the order to shoot in Bucharest, for instance? Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu must be held fully responsible for this. Just a genteel, inoffensive refusal from an old gent. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Incredible. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. This shows again how false the charges are. This shows again how false the charges are.
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