PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? After an outage of transmission of Romanian television, the speaker announces the verdict in the trial of Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu is death sentence. CEAUSESCU: She was not a deputy prime minister, but the first deputy prime minister. Every honest citizen who worked hard here until 22 December knows that we do not have medicines, that you two have killed children and other people in this way, that there is nothing to eat, no heating, no electricity. A flight into peril, flashbacks to underground action. Ceausescu and his wife were later captured, tried, and executed. 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. Ti-mi-oa-ra!a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. The following is a transscript of the closed trial of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, as shown on Romanian and Austrian television. Transcriptul "procesului" Nicolae si Elena Ceausescu. The charges are incorrect, and I will not answer a single question here. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. ELENA CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. Behind The Facade Of The Ceausescu Regime - Rferl.org I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. PROSECUTOR: Nicolae Ceauescu should tell us why he does not answer our questions. I have observed that she is not even able to read correctly, but she calls herself an university graduate. They were not really interested in the people. CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting Ti-mi-oa-ra! . These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. Tax experts say the best it can do is withhold the penalty amount from any tax refund due. It gave no further details. Tip Jar or Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the Belmont Club. PROSECUTOR: In the same way he refused to hold a dialogue with the people, now he also refuses to speak with us. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu must be held fully responsible for this. 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. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. As the crowd becomes more unruly, Ceausescu becomes more confused and he begins arguing with the unseen hecklers. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Nicolae Ceauescu refuses to cooperate with the court-appointed counsel for the defense. ELENA CEAUESCU: We will not sign any statement. I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. Transcript of the closed trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. 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. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? ELENA CEAUSESCU: Such impudence! Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e ta.uesku]; 26 January 1918 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary Gener. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceauescu. What about the accounts? He was a cosignatory of an open letter harshly critical of the Ceauescu region which appeared last march. I will only speak at the Grand National Assembly. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. Have you understood them? They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. I will not say anything here. CEAUSESCU: I do not answer, I will only answer questions before the Grand National Assembly. 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. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. They have lost all respect for their commander in chief. The prosecutor quotes Ceauescu, Ceauescu's program. You have information about it. The counsel for the defense now takes the floor and instructs the Ceauescus once again that they have the right to defense and that they should accept this right. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. You cannot talk to me in such a way! And Elena says: It is incredible what they are inventing, incredible. A little noticed article in the Sydney Morning Herald notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. President Nicolae Ceauescu was overthrown yesterday and became a fugitive in the country he has ruled for 24 years as remnants of his personal troops fought bitter last battles with regular soldiers and demonstrators in the streets of the Romanian capital. PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. 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. He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. This shows again how false the charges are. At that very moment, many everyday Romanians saw the weakness of Ceauescu's regime for the first time. You, as a scientist, did you know about it? The charges are incorrect, and I will not answer a single question here. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Land of Green Plums, Mller, Herta at the best online prices at eBay! 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. Soon afterwards, Bucharest television reported that Mr Ceauescu and his wife were no longer in the country. Transcript of the trial of Nicolae and E. Ceausescu This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. They not only deprived the people of heating, electricity, and foodstuffs, they also tyrannized the soul of the Romanian people. Hayek and Ceauescu's Last Speech - PJ Media They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. A lie, a lie in my face. No, no, he says. What may happen of course, is that like a frog slowly being boiled in a pot, the process happens so slowly that people arent aware of it themselves. What happened? Military base Tirgoviste - December 25th 1989. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. Nobody has opened an account. Nobody has the right to abolish the Grand National Assembly. Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers 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 . Immediately before them were plainclothes Securitate agents and a row of police militia, who kept the mass of the crowd about thirty yards back from the front of the Central Committee building. Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we had no palaces. Elena keeps whispering to him. In the early evening, it was announced that a National Democracy Committee had been formed, made up of uncompromised military commanders, students and intellectuals. Share . Have you understood them? 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. By the way, I will not answer any more questions. Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. They organized the putsch. PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. 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. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. ELENA CEAUESCU: Incredible. 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 Ceausescus to death. They wanted to separate the people from the army. 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. Powered by Omeka, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media. The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli PROSECUTOR: Who gave the order to shoot in Bucharest, for instance? The collapse of the narrative doesnt happen in a single big step, but through an accumulation of small, personal, often innocuous refusals. You told us about it here. O voce: Un pahar cu apa! We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. Description One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 [English Subtitles] - Readable You were not used to talking to the people. 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. It must be cleared up whether Ceauescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. The Times of Israel quotes Israeli oppositionists as accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of loathing Barack Obama so intensely it has endangering the Jewish states security. Why did you make the peasants starve? One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality CEAUSESCU: No one recognizes that. "This is the final battle," he said. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? 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. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not answer, I will only answer questions before the Grand National Assembly. 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.