Tell us! His security guard appears, disappears and, finally, hustles Ceausescu off the balcony. Forget the pontifications from the myriad talking heads on TV and radio. Here Nicolae Ceauescu steps in and defends her. The Execution Spot of Nicolae Ceausescu - Dark Tourists Then follows the reading of the indictment. It gave no further details. In response, the two laugh, and she says: We do not stay abroad. We have sufficient data on this period. Not a single shot. What defamation, what provocations! The message was apparently sent on the understanding that Mr Ceauescu had been arrested. Tell us! The catastrophic situation of the country is known all over the world. Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 - Wikipedia No, no, he says. We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. It is a lie that I made the people starve. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. ELENA CEAUESCU: We will not sign any statement. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. We want a legal trial. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this court. About CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. Transcriptul "procesului" Nicolae si Elena Ceausescu. One momentCeauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. That is why the people are fighting all over the country. 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. Tyrannies are buried by the shovel of self-deception. Sections in italic type are from Austrian television comentary: NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I only recognize the Grand National Assembly. And who brought them into the country? PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! Wilson Center Digital Archive It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. You see, there is no use in talking to these people. 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. 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. 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. ELENA CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? 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. At the beginning, Ceauescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. Finally, I would like to refer once more to the genocide, the numerous killings carried out during the past few days. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. 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. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. 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 (now known as Revolution Square) in Bucharest. ELENA CEAUSESCU: What genocide? Everybody should be paid according to his performance. 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. . This page was last modified on 10 April 2016, at 21:40. At the moment the situation is rather uncertain. Its just that he makes it so hard to do so.. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu must be held fully responsible for this. "Video of Ceausescus Last Speech, December 1989," Making the History of 1989, Item #696, https://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/696 (accessed May 28 2021, 3:24 pm). The National Salvation Front is now our supreme body. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. 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. Nobody has the right to abolish the Grand National Assembly. I will only speak at the Grand National Assembly. 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. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. Here Nicolae Ceausescu steps in and defends her. One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Getting a shut-off notice from a utility is also sufficient to claim a hardship exemption. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. Free elections would be held as soon as possible, and independent media would be established. In the uprising by people against Ceausescu during this speech and in subsequent days 1,058 people lost there lives. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. Unprecedented Interruption of Ceausescu's Speech With AM-Romania, Bjt He refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. It must be cleared up whether Ceauescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. This is our home. What do you think? PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. And we will not betray our people here. 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. A little noticed article in the Sydney Morning Herald notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. TheWashington Timesreports that a top intelligence official is accusing the Obama admininistration of funding a terror network for the next ten years, alleging the administration paid a cash ransom to redeem Bowe Bergdahl. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. Nobody has opened an account. Nicolae Ceausescu - Last Speech, Trial and Execution - YouTube All their property will be impounded. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? A flight into peril, flashbacks to underground action. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. Suntem in fata unui tribunal al poporului. He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Such impudence! This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. They wanted to separate the people from the army. Romania 1989: Ceauescu goes down in blood - archive, 1989 I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. No one was shot. 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. This is not possible. No one can deprive me of these functions. 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. What prevents him from doing so? They organized the putsch. Its not that we dont want to respect the commander-in-chief, one told me sadly. The next he was a hunted man. But rebellion begins involuntarily, at the Hayekian level. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. Now we are making a last attempt. The administrations threats, so dire on paper, are toothless in practice because they actually cant afford to carry out the threat. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! 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. As a result, the prosecutor says: Elena has always been talkative, but otherwise she does not know much. . CEAUSESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. Trump says "this is the final battle" as he lays out grievances, 2024 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. Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? For example, George Ciampa, an 89-year old D-Day veteran refused an invitation to meet with President Obama at the White House. CEAUSESCU: No, no. Romanian demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest during the 1989 anti-communist revolution, 22 December 1989. They are not only accused of offenses committed during the past few days, but of offenses committed during the past 25 years. In addition, the law forbids the IRS from using its normal enforcement tools to collect unpaid penalties. Later reports suggested the couple had been captured. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. Elena and Nicolae reject this. One announcer called it the heart of our nation. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. PROSECUTOR: Well, Mr. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. ELENA CEAUESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. At that moment Elena says to Nicolae: Forget about them. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? You have destroyed the Romanian villages and the Romanian soil. I hope that you do not also work for the foreigners and for the destruction of Romania. Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway In 1947, King Michael showed more dignity than you. a silent falling away among American allies. These two defendants procured the most luxurious foodstuffs and clothes from abroad. Thousands of workers were bussed into the square under threat of being fired. 20072021 Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media His security guard appears, disappears and, finally, hustles Ceausescu off the balcony. ELENA CEAUESCU: Accounts in Switzerland? COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he -- like her -- committed insane acts, we want to defend them. However, he had badly misread the crowd's mood. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. Now the counsel for the defense, who was appointed by the court, asks whether Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu know the aforementioned facts that he is no longer president, that she has lost all official functions. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. When the crisis comes the Leader Maximus discovers to his absolute surprise that all support has vanished. Her husband, Nicolae. Their son, Nicu, was shown on television under arrest. They obstructed the normal process of the economy. Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. The day began as it ended with vehement anti-Ceauescu demonstrations. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban Paper is patient. Ceausescu and his wife were later captured, tried, and executed. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. Trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu - Wikipedia Watch the exact moment when a brutal dictator realizes the - DeadState No, no, he says. "Video of Ceausescus Last Speech, December 1989," in World History Commons, https://worldhistorycommons.org/video-ceausescus-last-speech-december-1989 [accessed March 4, 2023], Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. PROSECUTOR: Whether you have ever had a mental illness. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he like her committed insane acts, we want to defend them. Ceauescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. 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. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. But by then there was nowhere to hide. These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. 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. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. We have sufficient data on this period. Why did you starve the people? Furnish proof! 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 was a coup d'etat. You need not admit your mistakes, mister. What should he ask us? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. The Times of Israel quotes Israeli oppositionists as accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of loathing Barack Obama so intensely it has endangering the Jewish states security. However, why are your programs not implemented? In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? Description One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. Any actual attempts to fine 30 million Americans would end in a political disaster. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. This gang will be destroyed. It can go on for a long time shedding parts, but eventually the axle falls out. And who brought them into the country? I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. Why did you starve the people? 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. Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed 12/25) More Notable Events on December 21: 1997 Detroit Lions Barry Sanders is 3rd to run for 2,000 yards in a season 1991 U.S. actress Jane Fonda marries CNN-director Ted Turner 1989 Dan Quayle sends out 30,000 Xmas cards with word beacon spelled beakon I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. The crimes against the people grew year by year. 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. PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. 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. Elena Ceauescu's last moments were as pathetic as one could imagine. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. 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. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceauescu. Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not answer. 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 Ceauescus to death. If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. The people were slaves. Not a single shot. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? The defendant has not recognized us. If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? I just couldnt convince myself to do it., He is not alone. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99, reflections on terrorism and the nuclear age This is not possible. He would be executed a few days later. 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. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 4, 2023. But we are not talking about people. Decembrie 25 1989 - Garnizoana Tirgoviste. I do not recognize this court. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. 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! But who gave the order to shoot? Nicolae Ceauescu had been making speeches for over a couple of decades. 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. Ceausescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. They have lost all respect for their commander in chief. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. At that very moment, many everyday Romanians saw the weakness of Ceauescu's regime for the first time. 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. Transcript of the closed trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu One day Obama may wake up and find the alliances just gone. Machine guns splattered against a background of church bells ringing in triumph. Two: Armed attack on the people and the state power, in accordance with Article 163 of the penal code. ELENA CEAUESCU: Such impudence! I will not answer any more. Transcript of the trial of Nicolae and E. Ceausescu I hope that you do not also work for the foreigners and for the destruction of Romania. 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. Centralized Information as Hayek points out, eventually becomes the Official Lie. Richard is soon unhorsed on the field at the climax of the battle, and cries out, A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse! But wags through the ages have rewritten the lines perhaps less poetically, but more accurately as a hearse, a hearse, my kingdom for a hearse. That sad funereal vehicle is always drawn by teams of corrupt information. 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. No one wanted to do anything for you anymore. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceauescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Incredible. I will not answer any question. The archive focuses largely on the period from 1965, when Romania was ruled over by the Ceausescus, until. All strategic points in the country were said to be under the control of the people. By 6 pm, Romanian television was broadcasting live reports of victory rallies attended by thousands in Bucharest. You were so impertinent as to cut off oxygen lines in hospitals and to shoot people in their hospital beds. 105). Romanian Revolution - Wikipedia I have observed that she is not even able to read correctly, but she calls herself an university graduate. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. CEAUSESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. A lie, a lie in my face. In response, the two laugh, and she says: We do not stay abroad. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize you. The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. Yet there is a big difference between grousing, which is endemic to the military, and actual rebellion. 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. We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. You were not used to talking to the people. ELENA CEAUESCU: Incredible. The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. I am talking to you as simple citizens at the least, as simple citizens, and I tell you: I am the president of Romania. Hayek and Ceauescu's Last Speech - PJ Media PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. Judecator Gica POPA. 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. The palaces belong to the people. Shakespeare dramatized the turnabout in his famous scene. This is where President Ceausescu gave his final speech in December 1989, before fleeing Bucharest. The bill of indictment contains the following points: Genocide, in accordance with Article 356 of the penal code.