Dakota Beacon

Show trials! They are the scourge of some societies today, but they are not new. Recent decades revealed a variety of show trials. Oppressive governments typically use them to dissuade opposition and dissent. Communist, Marxist-sympathizing, and non-democratic societies use them to great advantage.

Show trials serve specific purposes through the abuse and perversion of law. Actual proof of guilt need not be offered. Phony “evidence” would be standard practice. Accordingly, the immediate effect of the show trial may be useful. However, unintended consequences may cause the plan to backfire.

Here are some of the purposes served by show trials. One, they create a public spectacle. In these spectacles the guilt of the defendant is predetermined. As a minimum, the trial embarrasses and humiliates the accused. In the worst instances the defendant may be incarcerated or executed.

Second, they serve as a propaganda tool warning others to refrain from certain activity or behavior. These trials display to the public both accusations together with verdicts thus instilling fear and apprehension. Trials serve as both an example and a warning to others who might dissent or otherwise challenge the ruling class. Message to outsiders? “Do not challenge or contest the establishment. Do so at your peril.”

A third use of show trials imposes retribution for behavior, speech, or activity not otherwise illegal but deemed unacceptable to the ruling powers. These trials tend to be retributive rather than corrective and emphasize punishment over rehabilitation. Show trials, in fact, serve as a means of discipline through political persecution. Another term for such a trial would be a “kangaroo court.”

Notable are the show trials conducted in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dominated by Russia. Sadly, many of the Nextgen generation have no awareness of these trials. They are not taught in public schools. In the Great Purge of the 1930s Joseph Stalin conducted show trials against prominent Bolshevik leaders like Leon Trotsky, Grigory Zinoviev, and Nikolai Bukharin. These politically motivated trials were used by Stalin to eliminate potential rivals and consolidate his power.

The trial of the Twenty-One in 1938 was a high-profile show trial in which 21 Soviet military leaders were accused of treason and espionage. Most were executed. One consequence of this action left the USSR devoid of high-level strategic thinkers on the eve of World War II against German invaders.

Leaders in the early years of Nazi Germany held show trials to thwart or otherwise discourage political opponents including communists and socialists. Such trials gave the appearance of legitimacy to Nazi actions and suppressed dissent. These were specifically known as the Leipzig Trials of the 1930s.

Mao Zedong’s People’s Republic of China launched the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976 conducting show trials to foil perceived enemies, intellectuals, and political rivals. Estimates from one million to two million people were executed because of China’s show trials. One unintended consequence resulted in China’s impaired economic development for decades.

Another example. During the 1980s Iran conducted show trials directed against political dissidents, intellectuals, and religious figures. Again, after the 2009 Iranian presidential election, over 140 defendants, including prominent politicians, academics, and writers, were put on trial for participating in protests. These trials were widely criticized as sham trials with predetermined outcomes.

Iranian show trials are orchestrated to legitimize the regime’s actions, suppress dissent, and maintain control of any opposition. They lack due process, transparency, and fairness, serving as a grim reminder of the regime’s authoritarian tactics.

Finally, North Korea. Show trials continue to be a powerful tool used to suppress dissent, intimidate the population, and maintain control.

In 2013 eighteen people faced a public trial for drug-related crimes. An audience of laborers from local factories and other workers were compelled to attend the show trial. All eighteen people received sentences of re-education through labor ranging from three to ten years in labor camps.

North Korean show trials are orchestrated to legitimize the regime’s actions, instill fear, and maintain authority serving as grim examples of the regime’s authoritarian tactics.

In summary, show trials are orchestrated for political purposes, often resulting in predetermined guilty verdicts and severe punishments. They serve as tools of propaganda, intimidation, and control.

Thank goodness in the “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave” where the US Constitution rules, and the Rule of Law prevails nothing like a politically driven show trial could possibly occur!

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).