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 Marxist-Leninist wooden language. However, he had badly misread the crowds mood. ELENA CEAUESCU: The intelligentsia of the country will hear what you are accusing us of. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. CEAUSESCU: Nu recunosc nici un tribunal in afara de Marea Adunare Nationala. One day Obama may wake up and find the alliances just gone. If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. As the crowd becomes more unruly, Ceausescu becomes more confused and he begins arguing with the unseen hecklers. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: She was not a deputy prime minister, but the first deputy prime minister. 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. Everybody should be paid according to his performance. 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 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. After an outage of transmission of Romanian television, the speaker announces the verdict in the trial of Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu is death sentence. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this court. 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. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. 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. Bundled in drab winter clothing, she was shoved around by armed guards inside a cold, empty building. 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. Storming the Castle at Amazon Kindle for $3.99, why government should get small One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. This shows again how false the charges are. We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. And we will not betray our people here. We have data concerning both of them. A caretaker government was announced within an hour of the dictators capture. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? You cannot talk to me in such a way! They not only deprived the people of heating, electricity, and foodstuffs, they also tyrannized the soul of the Romanian people. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. Ceauescu refused to answer. Fiction. One momentCeauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. The great Ceauescu escape attempt came after it had become clear that most of the army had gone over to the people. No Way In at Amazon Kindle $8.95, print $9.99. You have acted in a very irresponsible manner; you led the country to the verge of ruin and you will be convicted on the basis of the points contained in the bill of indictment. What defamation, what provocations! I will not answer any question. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! Nobody is likely to rise up and become a Man on Horseback. PROSECUTOR: Note - He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. I hope that you do not also work for the foreigners and for the destruction of Romania. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? His talks with Dubcek focused primarily on the events that had unfolded in Czechoslovakia over the last several months. No one can ask Bergdahl, since he is now reported as being unable to speak to anyone including his family. The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. 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. Do you want to sign this statement? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. Grandiose plans are announced, pivots are ordered, Red Lines are drawn, all manner of schemes are announced with a maximum of hoopla but everybody ignores it they know the latest fad will pass and the regime will Move On. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Nicolae Ceauescu refuses to cooperate with the court-appointed counsel for the 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." Sections in italic type are from the austrian television comentary: NICOLAE CEAUSESCU: I only recognize the Grand National Assembly. Two: Armed attack on the people and the state power, in accordance with Article 163 of the penal code. It doesnt happen as one big wave. [1], His security guard appeared, disappeared and, finally, hustled Ceauescu off the balcony. It must be cleared up whether Ceausescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. 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: In the same way he refused to hold a dialogue with the people, now he also refuses to speak with us. Shakespeare dramatized the turnabout in his famous scene. The workers were augmented by bystanders who were rounded up on Calea Victoriei. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. Rebranding Christianity for $3.99, or why the truth shall make you free 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. Forget what the politicians on Capitol Hill are saying about the prisoner swap. What defamation, what provocations! We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. They have lost all respect for their commander in chief. It must be cleared up whether Ceauescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. By the way, I will not answer any more questions. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceauescu. I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. Tax experts say the best it can do is withhold the penalty amount from any tax refund due. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. They wanted to separate the people from the army. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. They were not really interested in the people. "a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. 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. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? A lie, a lie in my face. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? At the moment the situation is rather uncertain. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. You told us about it here. This year, the crowd begins to chant unscripted comments back at the dictator. Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. 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. In the essay The Use of Knowledge in Society, Hayek argued that in complex systems the relevant facts are dispersed among many people. Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. CEAUSESCU: I will not answer this question. A flight into peril, flashbacks to underground action. 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. 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. . The Times of Israel quotes Israeli oppositionists as accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of loathing Barack Obama so intensely it has endangering the Jewish states security. 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 prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. After an outage of transmission of Romanian television, the speaker announces the verdict in the trial of Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu is death sentence. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. JUDECATORUL: Va rog sa luati loc. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. Decembrie 25 1989 - Garnizoana Tirgoviste. Diane Dimond writes in Real Clear Politicsabout the low level grumbling that risen to detectable levels since the Bergdahl affair. No, no, he says. Teams of doctors with emergency medical supplies were being flown in from Geneva last night. 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.. He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? The slippage that attracts the most attention of course, is discontent within the United States military. Are they the people, or are you paying them? I will not say anything here. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. That is why the people are fighting all over the country. 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. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. Then follows the reading of the indictment. Transcriptul "procesului" Nicolae si Elena Ceausescu. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. ELENA CEAUESCU: How can one tell us something like this? You see, there is no use in talking to these people. One announcer called it the heart of our nation. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. A little noticed article in the Sydney Morning Herald notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. However, why are your programs not implemented? Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. 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. Nobody has opened an account. One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). They will receive a link in their email and it will automatically give them access to a Kindle reader on their smartphone, computer or even as a web-readable document. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. CEAUSESCU: No one recognizes that. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. Then follows the reading of the indictment. ELENA CEAUSESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. The prosecutor asks the counsel for the defense to ask Ceauescu whether he knows that he is no longer president of the country, that Elena Ceauescu has also lost all her official state functions and that the government has been dissolved. 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. 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. ELENA CEAUESCU: Such impudence! One of the fundamental defenses of a democracy is the truth. No one wanted to do anything for you anymore. PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. 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. 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. This gang will be destroyed. CEAUSESCU: No, we will not sign. Storm Over The South China Sea Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. Ceausescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. PROSECUTOR: Well, Mr. As hard as it may be to believe, there was a time when . You, as a scientist, did you know about it? In the uprising by people against Ceausescu during this speech and in subsequent days 1,058 people lost there lives. I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. 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. Centralized regimes may seem to collapse suddenly, yet in reality they have been coming apart for a long time. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. The mighty Law of the Land is exposed as all bark and no bite; a fine they cant enforce. Storm Over the South China Sea $0.99, how China is restarting history in the Pacific . Print. This is not possible. 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. ELENA CEAUESCU: What genocide? Ceauescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. All the world should know what is going on here. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. We want a legal trial. Here Nicolae Ceausescu steps in and defends her. Why did you starve the people? Military base Trgovite - December 25th 1989. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. Now you know what members of our U.S. military are thinking and saying. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceausescu. He answers: I am the president of Romania, and I am the commander in chief of the Romanian army. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: the accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? It is a lie that I made the people starve. You see, there is no use in talking to these people. 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. Tip Jar or Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the Belmont Club. [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. ELENA CEAUSESCU: What genocide? I have nothing to do with them. Machine guns splattered against a background of church bells ringing in triumph. But by then there was nowhere to hide. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. a silent falling away among American allies. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? Faithless Execution: Building the Political Case for Obamas Impeachment Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. Description One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Plenara Comitetului Central al Partidului, Consiliul de Stat, Guvernul, repr. The day began as it ended with vehement anti-Ceauescu demonstrations. 23 December 1989: Nicolae Ceauescus overthrow follows a week of carnage in which thousands of protesters against his regime were killed in cold blood. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. The details are known. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. They organized the putsch. I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly no one else. This gang will be destroyed. The prosecutor quotes Ceauescu, Ceauescu's program. PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? Frederich Hayek identified the primary reason why tyrants fall: they rely on the poisoned cup of centralized knowledge. 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. I am the president of the people. You have information about it. Eight minutes into the speech, some in the crowd actually began to scream because there was a shooting that occurred in the background. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. I have nothing to do with them. First their narratives become so infested with lies they go out of sync with their own administrators on the ground. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. Rebranding Christianity (The World of Information) Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. We are all equal. Ti-mi-oa-ra! By the morning of 22 December, the rebellion had already spread to all major cities across the country. 105). 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. CEAUSESCU: This is not possible at all. CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: This is not possible at all. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. CEAUSESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. You were so impertinent as to cut off oxygen lines in hospitals and to shoot people in their hospital beds. 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. At that moment Elena says to Nicolae: Forget about them. I do not recognize this court. 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! PROSECUTOR: In the same way he refused to hold a dialogue with the people, now he also refuses to speak with us. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. CEAUSESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: The accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. Are they the people, or are you paying them? They are shooting at children; they are shooting arbitrarily into the apartments. The Ceauescu administrations Prime Minister, Mr Constantin Dsclescu, and his government were said to have resigned. You told us about it here. 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. Who pays them? It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. This is a vulgar provocation. Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. Thousands of workers were bused into the square under threat of being fired. 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. Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of the former President and his wife, Elena, last night. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? All strategic points in the country were said to be under the control of the people. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. Free elections would be held as soon as possible, and independent media would be established. They are not only accused of offenses committed during the past few days, but of offenses committed during the past 25 years. 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. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times. 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. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. 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. His security guard appears, disappears and, finally, hustles Ceausescu off the balcony. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. Ti-mi-oa-ra!a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. PROSECUTOR: Who gave the order to shoot in Bucharest, for instance? This is our home. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not answer. CEAUSESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. I will not answer any more. 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. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. CEAUSESCU: I do not answer, I will only answer questions before the Grand National Assembly. 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. A horse or a hearse? Share . . I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. saugerties school budget vote, 3 ingredient potato soup, teletubbies numbers 3 version 2,
ceausescu last speech transcript
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