Transitional Justice

Show Trials in the Czech Republic by Honza Cervenka

In this essay I will first offer an overview of the transitional methods used in Czechoslovakia after the fall of Communism and present some key theories on show trials in a transitional justice setting. I then apply the theories to two specific cases, the trial of Milada Horáková in 1950 and a recent trial of Ludmila Brožová-Polednová. I conclude that while the trial with Horáková was clearly a show trial, the trial with Brožová-Polednová occurred in a “gray area,” with characteristics of both just and show trials, and is best classified as a liberal show trial.

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