Trial of a General for Murder

Extract

[...] However, the Law also states that the general has full powers. That night, when our men, weakened by months of imprisonment, had finally found their way back home - for our city is their home - the one we call general and in whom our fighters have faith, the one you see on the defendant's bench, the one who has the power to act against the Laws when the Laws had not foreseen such an outcome, he betrayed his people and watched them die in front of the gate, murdered by the enemy That is what we must judge today. [...]

[...] Wouldn't you have opened the door to your child, if they had knocked on your door begging for "help"? Would you have saved the furniture, closed doors and shutters and let your child be killed on your doorstep without lending a hand? I don't think so. I don't think that one can claim to protect their people by sacrificing three hundred individuals of that people who fought for the city. Today, it's not a general we judge, gentlemen, it's an infanticide, a traitor, an assassin. [...]

[...] On the other hand, the ethos of the speaker rests on his presence at the events. Having lived through them from the inside, his legitimacy as an accuser is amplified by his position: he witnessed the assassination up close. Finally, the speaker regularly stops speaking to listen to the audience's reactions, but also to address them. He brings up a counter-argument - that of full powers, proving that the general acted entirely legally - but refutes it by emphasizing the consequence of his act. [...]

[...] The city's safety is thus preserved by our brave soldiers, encouraged by the general. That night, the battle lasted for several hours and it was in the middle of the night that our soldiers managed to defeat the enemy. The hours of fighting had weakened the troops, but motivation was at its peak when we saw the enemy retreating in the distance. It even seemed that the siege could be lifted in the coming days and this, I assure you, gives the soldiers, but also the people, a boost of energy. [...]

[...] It was then that the general came to me, placed himself in a high position and took the word thus: 'Soldiers, I order you to keep the gates closed. In times of war, no one can ignore that the gates cannot be opened. We will wait for peace to be fully established before lifting this ban and opening to the prisoners.' A gust of amazement rose from the ranks of soldiers, then a commotion, and finally complaints. We were cursing the general, showing our discontent, even insulting him. [...]