We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. The Ceauescu administrations Prime Minister, Mr Constantin Dsclescu, and his government were said to have resigned. ELENA CEAUESCU: I will not answer. CEAUSESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. The prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. His security guard appears, disappears and, finally, hustles Ceausescu off the balcony. PROSECUTOR: Note - He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. This was a coup d'etat. CEAUSESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. Then follows the reading of the indictment. Making use of Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, he delivered a litany of the achievements of the "socialist revolution" and Romanian "multi-laterally developed . 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. The mighty Law of the Land is exposed as all bark and no bite; a fine they cant enforce. As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. ELENA CEAUSESCU: The intelligentsia of the country will hear what you are accusing us of. You were not used to talking to the people. Nicolae Ceausescu - Last Speech, Trial and Execution - History Channel (ENG subtitled) ac agencija 258 subscribers Subscribe 743 Save 111K views 3 years ago Notice Age-restricted video (based. Answer this question! The people were slaves. The process usually follows this path. They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu. The message was apparently sent on the understanding that Mr Ceauescu had been arrested. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. [1], His security guard appeared, disappeared and, finally, hustled Ceauescu off the balcony. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. ELENA CEAUSESCU: What genocide? He then tried to placate the crowd by offering to raise workers salaries He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting before his eyes. That is why the people are fighting all over the country. Dressed in a black Persian lamb hat with matching coat collar, Ceausesecu, 71, was . CEAUSESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu must be held fully responsible for this. "Stenographic transcript of meeting of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party," August 17, 1968, History . 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. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. 105). PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. The palaces belong to the people. 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. 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. 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 only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly -- no one else. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. This is a vulgar provocation. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. CEAUSESCU: Is it possible that we are facing such charges? Nobody has opened an account. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? In one speech, a Romanian politician likened Ceausescu to Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Peter the Great, Abraham Lincoln and other major historical figures. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. This year, the crowd begins to chant unscripted comments back at the dictator. CEAUSESCU: No, we will not sign. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. What do you think? Tip Jar or Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the Belmont Club. Yet there is a big difference between grousing, which is endemic to the military, and actual rebellion. Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. ELENA CEAUESCU: How can one tell us something like this? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not answer, I will only answer questions before the Grand National Assembly. One moment Ceauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. Ceausescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. Thirty years on, will the guilty pay for horror of Ceauescu orphanages? CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. Elena Ceauescu's last moments were as pathetic as one could imagine. How can one say something like this? , 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. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. 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. Print. 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. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. Fiction. 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. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! 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. Tell us! From the archive, 23 December 1989: Celebration as a nation emerges from the dark, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. I will not answer any question. 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. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. 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. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. After an outage of transmission of Romanian television, the speaker announces the verdict in the trial of Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu is death sentence. Storm Over the South China Sea $0.99, how China is restarting history in the Pacific The palaces belong to the people. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. The workers were augmented by bystanders who were rounded up on Calea Victoriei. One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Another question to Ceausescu: Who ordered the bloodbath in Timisoara. 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. Bundled in drab winter clothing, she was shoved around by armed guards inside a cold, empty building. Transcriptul "procesului" Nicolae si Elena Ceausescu. How to Debate Leftists and Destroy Them: 11 Rules for Winning the Argument. Please make a note that here it has been stated that all legal regulations have been observed, that this is a legal trial. They obstructed the normal process of the economy. It must be cleared up whether Ceausescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. He also refuses to recognize the new forum. I am talking to you as simple citizens at the least, as simple citizens, and I tell you: I am the president of Romania. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. I have nothing to do with them. The Rise of Ceausescu Nicolae was a member of the communist youth movement. The great Ceauescu escape attempt came after it had become clear that most of the army had gone over to the people. They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. PROSECUTOR: Well, Mr. Now we finally saw your villa on television, the golden plates from which you ate, the foodstuffs that you had imported, the luxurious celebrations, pictures from your luxurious celebrations. 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. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. 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. It is simply an accumulation of multitudes ignoring the official line bit by bit and thereby gradually placing themselves unwittingly in opposition to it. PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? After many people began to exit the square, Ceauescu shouted over the public address system for them to "remain seated". Ceausescu relates his recent meeting with Dubcek in Prague in August 1968. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. This shows again how false the charges are. We have data concerning both of them. This is not possible. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. This gang will be destroyed. It can go on for a long time shedding parts, but eventually the axle falls out. They wanted to separate the people from the army. Last modified on Sun 29 Mar 2020 07.01 EDT 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. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 [English Subtitles] Transcrierea discursului lui Ceauescu: 01:08 Nicolae Ceauescu: Dragi tovari. 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. 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: 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. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Incredible. At the beginning, Ceauescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. Another question . No one can ask Bergdahl, since he is now reported as being unable to speak to anyone including his family. What about the accounts? 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: Well, Mr. Why did you starve the people? It gave no further details. 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. I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 was a public address by Nicolae Ceauescu, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party and President of the State Council of Romania, strongly condemning the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Ceausescu sprinkles snow on his wife's head during yet another hunting trip in 1976. 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. They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu and his wife. Ceauescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. Mr Ceauescus overthrow followed a week of carnage in which thousands of men, women and children protesting against his regime were killed in cold blood, and probably tens of thousands wounded. A caretaker government was announced within an hour of the dictators capture. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. Who pays them? Its bulletins provide a dramatic account of the most important day in Romanias history since the Communist takeover in 1948. Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. CEAUSESCU: No one recognizes that. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. At some point the entire structure of governance becomes a system of workarounds with all real power devolved to the man on the ground. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. No, no, he says. 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. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. I am the president of the people. However, they will be indicted, and a sentence will be passed on the basis of the new legal system. Here Nicolae Ceauescu steps in and defends her. You have destroyed the Romanian villages and the Romanian soil. The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. Recent items of interest by Belmont readers based on Amazon click-throughs. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. Do you want to sign this statement? PROSECUTOR: This situation is known. One day Obama may wake up and find the alliances just gone. These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. CEAUSESCU: As a citizen, as a simple citizen, I tell you the following: At no point was there such an upswing, so much construction, so much consolidation in the Romanian provinces. He also refuses to recognize the new forum. 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. 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. 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. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. The front rows of the assembly were made up of low-level Communist Party officials and members who acted as cheer-leaders. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? Why did you make the peasants starve? I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. Whatever the reason, the result is that the penalty will raise $27 billion less over the next decade than the CBO had originally expected. Furnish proof! You told us about it here. PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. Elena keeps whispering to him. PROSECUTOR: Children cannot even buy plain candy, and you are living in the palaces of the people. ELENA CEAUESCU: We will not sign any statement. Paper is patient. I hope that you do not also work for the foreigners and for the destruction of Romania. I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly no one else. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting Ti-mi-oa-ra! ELENA CEAUESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. 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. I do not recognize the court. 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. ELENA CEAUESCU: What genocide? The details are known. . Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. Rebranding Christianity (The World of Information) They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat.

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