When the trial opened on Saturday the judge had his calendar full. There were many conspirators who had attempted to act against national security and were to receive their due punishment specified by the code.
The defendants, looking haggard, who were seated next to uniformed officers, had a look of bewilderment on their faces. It wasn’t that long ago when most of them were high officials of the very system and had seen many such trials, but experiencing it from the other side of the table had them befuddled.
Preliminary judicial instructions were dispensed quickly. The judge started his usual perfunctory praising of the system and the Leader, at times stepping outside his impartiality position taking emotional and accusatory tone towards the many defendants.
Then the prosecutor presented his opening statement. He too spent most of his time in praising the system and the Leader and demonizing the defendants for wanting to change such a God given system.
By this time the packed cavernous courtroom was so fired up that given the chance the assembled pro-Leader audience would have all the defendants strung up then and there, but fate intervened.
The interested can read the full account here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Freisler
And see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9z4wG43rXY
Ps. hundred years ago to the day, Sheikh Fazlullah Nouri, who was held in the highest regard by Ayatollah Khomeini, was executed in Tehran.
