And the next moment he was lying in the dust. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not answer, I will only answer questions before the Grand National Assembly. Storm Over the South China Sea $0.99, how China is restarting history in the Pacific Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? The National Salvation Front is now our supreme body. 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. As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. We have data concerning both of them. The people were slaves. One of the fundamental defenses of a democracy is the truth. Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban You need not admit your mistakes, mister. 23 December 1989: Nicolae Ceauescus overthrow follows a week of carnage in which thousands of protesters against his regime were killed in cold blood. You were so impertinent as to cut off oxygen lines in hospitals and to shoot people in their hospital beds. And Elena says: It is incredible what they are inventing, incredible. A little noticed article in the, notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. In 1947, King Michael showed more dignity than you. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: What? 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. But rebellion begins involuntarily, at the Hayekian level. But we are not talking about people. PROSECUTOR: Did you hear the charges? We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. A flight into peril, flashbacks to underground action. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. You told us about it here. It doesnt happen as one big wave. 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. The front rows of the assembly were made up of low-level Communist Party officials and members who acted as cheer-leaders. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. 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. How can one say something like this? Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? They not only deprived the people of heating, electricity, and foodstuffs, they also tyrannized the soul of the Romanian people. Within hours Ceauescu was beseiged inside the Central Committee building by irate crowds. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. Rebranding Christianity (The World of Information) Military base Tirgoviste - December 25th 1989. PROSECUTOR: Nicolae Ceausescu should tell us why he does not answer our questions. I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. Have you understood them? I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. 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. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. 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. Tax experts say the best it can do is withhold the penalty amount from any tax refund due. CEAUSESCU: No one recognizes that. By the morning of 22 December, the rebellion had already spread to all major cities across the country. Two: Armed attack on the people and the state power, in accordance with Article 163 of the penal code. Do you want to sign this statement? Elena and Nicolae reject this. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. No one was shot. What defamation, what provocations! PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. 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. At that moment Elena says to Nicolae: Forget about them. PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! One of the first acts of the new leadership was to place the security forces, the dreaded Securitate, under control of the army. They are cowards. This gang will be destroyed. I will not answer any more. 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. CEAUSESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. 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! And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. 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. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. All strategic points in the country were said to be under the control of the people. 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. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. 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. This is where President Ceausescu gave his final speech in December 1989, before fleeing Bucharest. They wanted to separate the people from the army. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. O voce: Un pahar cu apa! But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. Ceausescu refused to answer. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. ELENA CEAUSESCU: How can one tell us something like this? Ceausescu and his wife were later captured, tried, and executed. It is a lie that I made the people starve. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we had no palaces. 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. Diane Dimond writes in Real Clear Politicsabout the low level grumbling that risen to detectable levels since the Bergdahl affair. I will only speak in front of it. But who gave the order to shoot? [3], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, The former headquarters of the Central Committee of the, File:Ceausescu Final Speech - Former Central Committee Building - Bucharest - Romania.jpg, Video of Ceausescus Last Speech, December 1989, Nicolae Ceauescu LAST SPEECH (english subtitles) 1/2, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Ceauescu%27s_final_speech&oldid=714636674, Articles with Romanian-language external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. Tyrannies are buried by the shovel of self-deception. And Elena says: It is incredible what they are inventing, incredible. The mighty Law of the Land is exposed as all bark and no bite; a fine they cant enforce. However, they will be indicted, and a sentence will be passed on the basis of the new legal system. No one wanted to do anything for you anymore. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? ELENA CEAUSESCU: We will not sign any statement. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? The defendant has not recognized us. Another question . Some people will continue to believe the narrative, but even among the acolytes, the fatal smoke of doubt has entered the temple. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not sign anything. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this court. I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. This is a vulgar provocation. No one can ask Bergdahl, since he is now reported as being unable to speak to anyone including his family. Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. He answers: I am the president of Romania, and I am the commander in chief of the Romanian army. We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? You have information about it. The crimes against the people grew year by year. 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. And we will not betray our people here. ELENA CEAUSESCU: What genocide? PROSECUTOR: This situation is known. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. PROSECUTOR: Note - He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. This was a coup d'etat. 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. 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. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. The Ceauescu administrations Prime Minister, Mr Constantin Dsclescu, and his government were said to have resigned. 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. Elena says: Look, and that they are calling genocide. PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. In 1947, King Michael showed more dignity than you. One in four of the population is believed to have a member. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. 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. 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. 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. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? Who are these fanatics? This year, the crowd begins to chant unscripted comments back at the dictator. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. In the early evening, it was announced that a National Democracy Committee had been formed, made up of uncompromised military commanders, students and intellectuals. Elena says: Look, and that they are calling genocide. [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." This gang will be destroyed. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. The workers were augmented by bystanders who were rounded up on Calea Victoriei. We are all equal. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the early hours in front of the Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest, undeterred by armoured vehicles. Have you understood them? Elena Ceauescu's last moments were as pathetic as one could imagine. What do you say as a citizen? This is not possible. PROSECUTOR: Children cannot even buy plain candy, and you are living in the palaces of the people. The palaces belong to the people. ELENA CEAUESCU: We will not sign any statement. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. Storming the Castle at Amazon Kindle for $3.99, why government should get small Are they the people, or are you paying them? What do you think? And that assumes more dont simply dodge paying the penalty because of the ease with which they can claim a hardship exemption, or because the law places strict limits on the IRS ability to collect the money. It should be stated once and for all that this military court is absolutely legal and that the former positions of the two Ceauescus are no longer valid. This shows again how false the charges are. 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. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. [1], His security guard appeared, disappeared and, finally, hustled Ceauescu off the balcony. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. Ceausescu's last speech was interrupted but not by the shouts of the masses. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. 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. What defamation, what provocations! PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. 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. Making use of Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, he delivered a litany of the achievements of the "socialist revolution" and Romanian "multi-laterally developed . 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. 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. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. They organized the putsch. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. The prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. At the beginning, Ceauescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. We want a legal trial. 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. Perhaps the biggest example of thisis a CBO report that while 30 million people will technically be liable to pay the Obamacare Individual Mandate fine but in practice all but 4 million will have their fines waived or exempted. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: This is not possible at all. CEAUSESCU: Nu recunosc nici un tribunal in afara de Marea Adunare Nationala. You cannot talk to me in such a way! CEAUSESCU: I repeat: I am the president of Romania and the commander in chief of the Romanian army. Getting a shut-off notice from a utility is also sufficient to claim a hardship exemption. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we will not sign. What prevents him from doing so? What should he ask us? It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. 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 . PROSECUTOR: Did you hear the charges? 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. A lie, a lie in my face. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. Transcriptul "procesului" Nicolae si Elena Ceausescu. 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. If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. CEAUSESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. Now we are making a last attempt. 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. No one was shot. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. The charges are incorrect, and I will not answer a single question here. 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. CEAUSESCU: Is it possible that we are facing such charges? I will only speak at the Grand National Assembly. Teams of doctors with emergency medical supplies were being flown in from Geneva last night. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. Sections in italic type are from Austrian television comentary: One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). 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. Storm Over The South China Sea No truth, no survival. . This demonstrates their lack of understanding. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. An important historical square located on Victoriei Street. Tell the people that I will answer all their questions. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: 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. Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway Stanley double-crossed Richard at the crucial moment. 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. CEAUSESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. 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. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. The new committee declared its immediate aim was an end to the cult of personality which had developed around the Ceauescu family. Ceausescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. How can one say something like this? 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. Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e tea.uesku]; 26 January 1918 -- 25 December 1989) was a Romanian Communist politician. "a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. One announcer called it the heart of our nation. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. 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. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. Here Nicolae Ceauescu steps in and defends her. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. 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. Thousands of workers were bussed into the square under threat of being fired. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he -- like her -- committed insane acts, we want to defend them. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. And so should such reports chill one to the bone. He also refuses to recognize the new forum. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. Elena keeps whispering to him. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceausescu. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. George thought about it for awhile and concluded he just couldnt. Fiction. ELENA CEAUESCU: Such impudence! Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers ELENA CEAUESCU: The intelligentsia of the country will hear what you are accusing us of. , 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. ELENA CEAUESCU: How can one tell us something like this?