PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. The details are known. We have data concerning both of them. 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. The archive focuses largely on the period from 1965, when Romania was ruled over by the Ceausescus, until. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. The prosecutor asks the counsel for the defense to ask Ceausescu whether he knows that he is no longer president of the country, that Elena Ceausescu has also lost all her official state functions and that the government has been dissolved. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Tell the people that I will answer all their questions. , 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. 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. Have you understood them? 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. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. 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They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu. These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. Its not that we dont want to respect the commander-in-chief, one told me sadly. The destruction of buildings and state institutions, undermining of the national economy, in accordance with Articles 165 and 145 of the penal code. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! They obstructed the normal process of the economy. PROSECUTOR: Note: He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. You told us about it here. It is surpassingly perilous not only for the country, but also for the ruler who relies on it. They used to fetch people from orphans' homes or from abroad whom they trained in special institutions to become murderers of their own people. Nicolae Ceauescu had been making speeches for over a couple of decades. CEAUSESCU: No one recognizes that. Nobody has the right to abolish the Grand National Assembly. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. A lie, a lie in my face. After an outage of transmission of Romanian television, the speaker announces the verdict in the trial of Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu is death sentence. 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. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. 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. We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. . This year, the crowd begins to chant unscripted comments back at the dictator. And the next moment he was lying in the dust. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? "a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. Free shipping for many products! They used to fetch people from orphans' homes or from abroad whom they trained in special institutions to become murderers of their own people. Diane Dimond writes in Real Clear Politicsabout the low level grumbling that risen to detectable levels since the Bergdahl affair. The defendant has not recognized us. Tell us! The front rows of the assembly were made up of low-level Communist Party officials and members who acted as cheer-leaders. Centralized regimes may seem to collapse suddenly, yet in reality they have been coming apart for a long time. Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. We are all equal. You see, there is no use in talking to these people. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. Who are these fanatics? A later article shows that Australia is moving toward purchasing Japanese submarines to replace its existing fleet. 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. 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. But rebellion begins involuntarily, at the Hayekian level. Fanatics, whom you are paying. 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. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! I have nothing to do with them. You have information about it. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. . ELENA CEAUSESCU: Incredible. We want a legal trial. The great Ceauescu escape attempt came after it had become clear that most of the army had gone over to the people. The balcony where Ceauescu delivered his last speech, taken over by the crowd during the Romanian Revolution of 1989 The speech was typical of most of Ceauescu's speeches over the years. Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e tea.uesku]; 26 January 1918 -- 25 December 1989) was a Romanian Communist politician. 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. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. In the early evening, it was announced that a National Democracy Committee had been formed, made up of uncompromised military commanders, students and intellectuals. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. One momentCeauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. Forget the pontifications from the myriad talking heads on TV and radio. These two defendants procured the most luxurious foodstuffs and clothes from abroad. I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly -- no one else. ELENA CEAUESCU: What genocide? 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. The Idiot Vote: The Democrats Core Constituency 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. Their son, Nicu, was shown on television under arrest. Nobody has opened an account. PROSECUTOR: This situation is known. 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. Furnish proof! Earlier, joyful crowds had paraded through the city after reports that Mr Ceauescu had been arrested after trying to flee from the roof of the party headquarters by helicopter. 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. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. Ceausescu relates his recent meeting with Dubcek in Prague in August 1968. I hope that you do not also work for the foreigners and for the destruction of Romania. The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99, reflections on terrorism and the nuclear age Ceauescu was finally cornered in a small town, where he and his wife were subjected to a summary trial, taken out to the courtyard and shot. . I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? They not only killed children, young people and adults in Timisoara and Bucharest; they allowed Securitate members to wear military uniforms to create the impression among the people that the army is against them. The Ceauescu administrations Prime Minister, Mr Constantin Dsclescu, and his government were said to have resigned. Not a single shot. After an outage of transmission of Romanian television, the speaker announces the verdict in the trial of Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu is death sentence. What about the accounts? 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. Within hours Ceauescu was beseiged inside the Central Committee building by irate crowds. The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. Tell us! 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. No one was shot. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? Tell the people that I will answer all their questions. You told us about it here. Answer this question! Not a single shot. ELENA CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. [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." Fiction. No, no, he says. 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. If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. His security guard appears, disappears and, finally, hustles Ceausescu off the balcony. When the crisis comes the Leader Maximus discovers to his absolute surprise that all support has vanished. Thirty years on, will the guilty pay for horror of Ceauescu orphanages? Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. No, no, he says. I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. One announcer called it the heart of our nation. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. Furnish proof! Here Nicolae Ceausescu steps in and defends her. We have sacrificed all our lives to the people. We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. Judecator Gica POPA. All their property will be impounded. . PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. Dressed in a black Persian lamb hat with matching coat collar, Ceausesecu, 71, was . The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. Ti-mi-oa-ra!a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. 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. PROSECUTOR: Note - He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. And who brought them into the country? Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. The counsel for the defense now takes the floor and instructs the Ceausescus once again that they have the right to defense and that they should accept this right. He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. CEAUSESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. The collapse of the narrative doesnt happen in a single big step, but through an accumulation of small, personal, often innocuous refusals. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 4, 2023. 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 PROSECUTOR: Children cannot even buy plain candy, and you are living in the palaces of the people.