The Trial of the Century (Meillur Only)

[Zaraco]

The Trial of Marie of Wied
The First Case of the International Court of Justice

The Dalasile Palace of Peace, Vanessa, Derita
First of June, in the year Two Thousand Eighty-Eight of the Common Era

Secretary-General Hibbaan Abdi was making history. He was to be the first Secretary-General of the League of Harmony to oversee the First Case of the International Court of Justice. The case was one of epic proportions, the trial of Marie of Wied, Duchess of Wied and the former Queen of the Netherlands, Espana, Bavaria, Holland, and Portugal & the Algraves in the case of her accused crimes against the Connuriste Imperial Family, and Crimes against Humanity for her involvement in the affairs of the late Charles II, King of Espana, also known as the Mad King. Secretary-General Abdi, following the spectacular arrest of the defendant in Ivonbroook in Great Hyruke by the Queen and sent to the Hyrukian Tower, and the Queen's call for the League of Harmony to place her on trial, which was then quickly supported by the delegates of the League to place the Duchess of Wied on trial.

Thus a Tribunal of Justices from three members of the League and one observer nation to serve over the case. The Secretary-General himself was to sit on the tribunal as presiding judge, though he had resolved to cast his ruling only in the case of a deadlock between the other four justices who sat on the board. Connuriste, as the chief plaintiff nation had provided a prosecutor, whilst the defendant, the Duchess of Wied had been allowed to select her own personal defense counsel. And thus the stage of the court had been set. The location was to be in Vanessa, Derita, which served as the headquarters of the League of Harmony at the Dalasile Palace of Peace, formerly the Dalasile Palace and Gardens that the Secretary-General had managed to lease from the Crown of the Celestial Empire to serve as the headquarters of the International Court of Justice for the next ninety-nine years, set to be negotiated once more in 2187.

The palace, and its surrounding gardens were beautiful and had a unique serenity and tranquility to them. Secretary-General Abdi has paid close attention to the cultivating the Dalasile Palace of Peace to be a symbol of the League and its strengthen and commitment to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. It was to be the location for a case that would serve as a turning point for the entire world as it was known. For the trial itself, the Yoxolo Ballroom inside the palace had been transformed into a large courtroom to allowing for seating for the tribunal, the defendant, plaintiff, the general assembly of ambassadors to the League, a number of the public, security, secretaries, translators, the press, and other reporters who would broadcast the trial to the world.

Secretary-General Abdi was the first to arrive in the courtroom itself, ignoring the various attendants and aides that had prepared everything for the various delegates and other such attendants. Secretary-General Abdi was graying man with dark eyes which sat behind a pair of designer glasses. He wore an ornate traditional Zaraccan kaftan, it’s outer silk layer a soft Sky blue color embroidered with silver doves with lapis lazuli stones for eyes, while his inner robes and the front brocade simple white. Secretary-General Abdi was flanked by a pair of aides, dressed in pure white, there to assist the Secretary-General of the League. The entire courtroom was swathed in a similar color scheme of blue and white, colors of peace, from the cerulean blue walls and baby blue chandeliers to ceiling mosaic of perfect geometric shapes of various shades of white and blue.

Ascending to the bench, the symbol of the League, the blooming poppy flower with the galaxy in its center displayed on it, the Secretary General took his seat. To his right were seats for Justice Iutita Savea and Justice Marc Vigoureux. To his left were the seats for Justice Gregory Ketilah and Justice Ritwann Ben Barka. Directly before the bench was a podium for those who wished to take the stand, and behind that the seats for the plaintiff and defendant (which was protected by a lightweight forcefield designed to protect the defendant, just in case) , whilst behind that, flanking the walls were the seats for the delegations. A u-shape band of balconies on the second floor had been expanded to allow for the public, cameras and reporters. Weapons, naturally, were banned from the Dalasile Palace of Peace and its Gardens, with the small but elite Guard of the League, loyal only to the preservation of peace in locals of meetings of the League, tasked with ensuring everyone’s safety.

The court was as followed:

Judges:

• Hibbaan Abdi (presiding)
• Lord Gregory Ketilah
• Iutitia Savea
• Marc Vigoureux
• Ritwann Ben Barka

Prosecutor

:

• Christopher Ocon

Defense Attorney:

• Duchess Elisabeth d’Aurelains

The Order of the Court was to be as followed:

• Start of the Trial
• Opening Statement from the Secretary-General
• Statement from the Prosecution
• Testimony for the Prosecution
• Statement from the Defense
• Testimony for the Defense
• Final Statement for the Defense
• Final Statement for the Prosecution
• Last Statement by the Defendant
• Court Adjournment
• Sentence is Carried Out

As delegates, attorneys, aides, justices and more came into the spacious chamber, Secretary-General Hibbaan Abdi prepared himself for what could very well be the Trial of the Century.

[Aogau]

Justice Iutitia Savea, the judge sent by the Aogaian delegation to serve on the tribunal of the Duchess of Wied, a figure who loomed largely over the politics and culture of many, a great woman of history, for better or for worse certainly. Savea found herself with a certain anxiousness about this momentous step in the progress of history. At the age of73, she had served as a judicial figure in Aogau for over thirty-three years. She had been among those to remain in Aogau during the Occupation, were she had been stifled by the imperialist invaders, but she had refused to allow for even them to stand in the way that right. Thus Savea saw the importance of this trial, for it would be what set the path to be followed for all future such cases. Cases that could help right the wrongs that had been imposed on those who were the weak and downtrodden. Justice Savea, dressed in the simple black robes and frilly collar of a member of the court judges, the rotund woman ascended the bench and took her seat next to the Secretary-General of the League of Harmony and put on her glasses. She found the pompous nature of the trial mildly over the top but was, perhaps like everyone else in attendance was deeply eager to see the unfolding of the arguments of both the prosecution and defense.

[Selesburge]

In the great march of history, there were points and moments in which everything seemed to fall into place, the characters of stories one only has heard of comes into play before one's very eyes. Marc Vigouroux felt that this was one of those moments. As he entered the Dalasile Palace of Peace, along with Selesburgish ambassador to the League, Samuel Pretre, the former Prime Minister of Selesburge turn, member of the first judicial board to review an international criminal court case of this nature, in which the defendant, the famous, or infamous, Marie of Wied was accused of crimes against humanity. Vigouroux, like his fellow Selesburgers, preferred to remain neutral on matters that occured outside of Selesburge's borders. It was that reason in part that Vigouroux felt ready to give a fair and honest judgement on the Duchess of Wied. So many others seemed very much on one side or the other of the issue, a harsh or overcaring form of prejudice against the Duchess of Wied. Vigouroux was here not because he wished to see Marie punished or did he wish to see her vindicated. He wished to learn the truth and see, based on the evidence put forth if Marie of Wied broke the law or not. It was up to Ocon and Aurelians to convince him of which was the actual truth. In his simple black robes and white frills, Vigouroux ascended the bench and took his seat next to his fellow justice, Savea from Aogau. Ambassador Pretre meanwhile took his seat in the gallery.

[Atmora]

Justice Lord Gregory Keitlah
International Court, Dalaise Palace, Vanessa, Derita
1 June 2088

Justice Lord Gregory Keitlah a graying bearded First Nations man entered the court, he had previously served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Lieseltania until he was nominated by the late Empress Katherine II to chair the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Katherinenburg to handle intercolonial disputes. Lord Keitlah was nominated by Atmoran Ambassador to the League Joeri Yoshino and by the Regent of the Atmoran Empire the Marchioness of Ravenswood. For it was in the interest of the sitting Privy Council to have a presiding Atmoran judge on the International Tribunal for the Duchess of Wied, however Katherinenburg had made it clear that their nomination for an Atmoran judge was to ensure that Marie would have a fair trial. For in Atmora no one is above the law even members of the Imperial Family.

Lord Keitlah vaguely remembers the news surrounding the Duchess of Wied, he wasn't entirely sure if most of it was hearsay or true. Today he and the entire galaxy will shed light on Marie's actions. For now is the time for her to defend her honour and vindicate herself or be found guilty of one of the numerous charges brought against her and face justice. Because of this he was eager to hear of Mr. Ocon's and Mrs. Aurelians' case. In simple black robes with a white frill he sat down to the left of the Secretary General, as he settled himself in he stoked his beard a bit as he took a look at Marie's face to gauge her character.

[Haracte]

Dalasile Palace of Peace, Vanessa, Derita

Justice Ritwann Ben Barka, a tall and willowy dark skinned woman entered the courtroom of the Dalasile Palace of Peace swathed in her black judicial robes, the frills of her collar peaking out from beneath her hijab. Ben Barka, had served on the judicial advisory board for the former king of Haracte, Faisal III as well as his successor and grandson, the current Abdulmaalik II. Ben Barka has been selected to be nominated for the board, in part because of another nominee having to be refused from the trial do to a relationship with the defendant on a professional, something that Ben Barka lacked entirely, as well as a way to keep the bench balanced. It had been deemed necessary that the Duchess of Wied not be given a board overwhelmingly male, as there was some fear it might skew things.

Ben Barka Walker up to the bench and took her seat next to Justice Gregory Ketilah to the left of the Secretary-General. In the case of the Duchess of Wied, Ben Barka found herself an outsider and having heard only the whispers of rumors. Rumors however would remain little more than gossip unless Ocon could provide proof of the many vicious and ghastly crimes that the Duchess was accused of. And it was up to Aurelians if she could provide proof that could vindicate her.