By Barbara J. Falk
From The Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies
Abstract: Political trials have been common in history, and have taken place in both consolidated democracies that respect the rule of law as well as authoritarian regimes. As concentrated legal narratives and expressions of political activity, such trials are neither entirely pejorative nor positive. They are microcosms of a specific political and cultural universe they seek to represent in concentrated legal form, and knowledge of context and the facts of each particular case are paramount.
Making Sense of Political Trials: Causes and Categories