Famous Trials that Changed History : From Socrates to Saddam Hussein

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Socrates drinks the cup of hemlock poison with superb serenity--300 BC. 3. Joan of arc speaks from the scaffold--May 30, 1431. 4. Trial of Martin Luther at the diet of worms--April 18, 1521. 5. Thomas Harrison speaks from the gallows--October 13, 1660. 6. Trial of John Peter Zenger--August 4, 1735. 7. Trial in respect of writs of assistance--February 24, 1761. 8. Trial of Warren Hastings--February 19, 1788. 9. Robespierre--hero of French revolution mounts the scaffold--July 26, 1794. 10. Trial of Robert Emmet--September 19, 1803. 11. The first colonial trial in Red Fort Delhi against Mughal Emperor--Bahadur Shah Zafar--1858. 12. Trial of John Brown--November 2, 1859. 13. Trial of Tantia Tope--the first and the greatest Indian Guerilla hero--1858. 14. Exiled Jose Marti turns into an architect of Cuban revolution--1871. 15. Trial of Lokmanya Bal Ganga Dhar Tilak--January 13, 1908. 16. Madan Lal Dhingra indicts the British rule as the most abominable scourge for India--July 24, 1909. 17. Lahore conspiracy cases against famous Indian patriots--1914-18. 18. Indo-German "Conspiracy trial" in USA--1917. 19. Agnes Smedley--a radical friend of India--faces trials in American courts. 20. Eugene V. Debs on trial--September 14, 1918. 21. Great trial of Mahatma Gandhi--November 16, 1922. 22. Abdul Karim challenges the military might of Spain and France--1926. 23. Trial of Henry Sweet--Negro boy--May 19, 1926. 24. Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti--1927. 25. Persecution and prosecution of Rosa Luxumburg. 26. Trial of Marcus Garvey hero of Jamaica--1925-26. 27. Bhagat Singh shouts patriotic slogans at the scaffold--March 23, 1931. 28. Omar Mukhtar ascends the scaffold erected by fascist Italian regime of Mussolini--1931. 29. Trial of Hochi Minh--June, 1932. 30. Trial of Minh Khai and her Vietnamese compatriots. 31. Paul Robeson asserts his rights to live in America built by his slave ancestors. 32. Udham Singh declares doom of the British imperialism at his trial--1940. 33. Pablo Neruda accuses president of Chile of treason and betrayal of democracy--1946. 34. The last colonial trial in Red Fort Delhi against I.N.A. patriots--1945-46. 35. Jomo Kenyatta roars in the dock of colonial court--1952-53. 36. Trial of Fidel Castro--1954. 37. Martin Luther King leads the protest battle of "The oppressed of the world" and Rosa Parks denounces and defies the segregation laws at their trial--1955-56. 38. 156 South African patriots on Marathon treason trial--1956-61. 39. The prisoner of 1957 Agostinoh Neto on trial--1956-57. 40. Trial of 2000 South African women--1958. 41. Trial of 50 Angolan patriots--July 1959. 42. Trial of Nelson Mandela and his South African compatriots--1963-64. 43. Neo-colonial trial of 30 patriots of Tunisia--1978. 44. Trial of Mosima Sexwale--Umkhonto we Sizwe South African fighter--1978. 45. Trials of U. Hia Than and his compatriots of Burma--April 1991. 46. Ken Saro Wiwa faces the neocolonial gallows--1995. 47. Brain Balwin\'s trial based on racial prejudice. 48. Trial for indefinite detention--2004. 49. Saddam Hussein faces "Trial of the century". Index.

"In this book the author has devoted time and energy, in narrating, moving episodes in courts from the time of the famous trial Socrates the Greek philosopher, who preferred to sacrifice his life than abandon his principles in hoary antiquity. In a brief, precise and concise manner, he gives accounts in a chronological order of most important trials, particularly, during colonial period, besides those of the recent decades and present time. These trials proved to be milestones in human history, specially, during the period of slavery in ancient times and anti-imperialism struggle the world over. With intensive research and extensive study he has focussed on dreadful sentences passed by terrible courts against patriots, righting for literation of their countries and human rights. The author records brilliant oratorical skill, and magical spell of fearless statements of the death awarded heroes and attained martyrdoms and suffered dreadful sentences of imprisonment and exile in the cause of their motherland. The book is meant to serve as a source of inspirations for the coming generations for centuries to come." (jacket)