Третият държавен съд (1921–1923)
The Third State Court (1921–1923)

Summary/Abstract: The Third State Court held from October 11, 1921 to March 31, 1923 was aimed at punishing the ministers of Dr V. Radoslavov’s Cabinet (1913–1918) bearing great responsibility for the failure of the Bulgarian national ideals as a result of the collapse during the First World War. This was the first trial of ministers in Bulgarians legal history where the composition of the court included also judges elected by the people which to a large extent may be characterized as a “people’s court of a sort”. In the course of the trial, however, the ruling Agrarian Union grossly intervened in the work of the court, detaining two of the people’s judges and transferring one of the crown judges “to another post”. This was done at variance with all established rules of procedure guaranteeing freedom to the judges in carrying out their service duties. Parallel with that the Agrarians decides also to change the rules of legal procedure. In this way whole judicial trail became a caricature and a parody of the administration of justice. The Third State Court assumed a markedly political character and its principal objective became almost entirely to deal with the already fallen political enemy. As a result of these outrages the verdict issued on march 31, 1923 gained weak public prestige and gave a chance to the former Radoslavist ministers to win the halo of innocent victims.

• Details
• Contents