(Thanks again to the provocative details and questions provided to me by my co-author, Andrei Ursu. Andrei found the following in Dana Mustata’s article («The Revolution Has Been Televised … ». Television as Historical Agent in the Romanian Revolution. Journal of Modern European History, Vol. 10, No. 1, Media History after 1945 (2012), pp. 76-97 (22 pages): Elena Ceausescu’s last words at her execution (in response to accusations of Nicolae Ceausescu having ordered the shootings ) were: « Those are the people of the Secu-ritate, they are not ours. We are here in this condition, what power do we still have? You have the power! Ask those who have the power!» ”° Although nobody reflected upon Elena Ceausescu’s last words at the time, they are telling. (p. 94, FN 100 101320, Arhiva Multimedia, Televiziunea))
What is significant is that the widely used English language translation of the trial does not include these immediate post-trial moments before the Ceausescus were taken for execution. The FBIS translation is in fact from Austrian Television and was translated, it appears, twice, from Romanian to German and then German to English. (http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/690, Irina Livezeanu, “Transcript of the closed “trial” of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, December, 1989,” Making the History of 1989, Item #690, http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/690 (accessed April 26 2020, 8:34 am).)
The situation isn’t much better in Romanian. At least the Romanian transcripts available online include the translation of the scenes with the soldiers trying to tie up the Ceausescus and the Ceausescus resisting and arguing with their captors. But, as we shall see, by watching the following video (one of the few online including these scenes), these popular transcriptions are inaccurate (see, for example, https://ro.wikisource.org/wiki/Stenograma_procesului_Ceau%C8%99escu ; https://adevarul.ro/news/societate/nicolae-elena-ceausescu-Impreuna-luptat-murim-impreuna-1_50ad82ad7c42d5a663967ee4/index.html), because they merge responses together, leave out certain words, and do not assign the correct words to the correct speaker. It appears that Mustata’s translation above is based on the Romanian version from these commonly used transcripts: “ELENA CEAUȘESCU: Ăia sunt ai Securității, nu sunt ai noștri. Noi suntem aicea așa, mai avem noi puterea? Voi o aveți! Întrebați-i pe cei care au puterea!”
Below, the video of these crucial moments, and perhaps the earliest, AND, if you compare the transcript with the video itself, the most faithful (among what is available; yes, from an unexpected source) transcription of the exchanges between the soldiers and the Ceausescus.
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-execution/owEqbEU3jGAuDg?hl=en
N.C. Nu admitem!
E.C. Nu legati!
Militarul se indreapta spre Elena Ceausescu si vrea si-i lege miinile.
N.C. (oprindu-l): Nu, nu, te rog!
E.C. Te rog!
N.C. Nu!
E.C. Nu puneti mina pe noi! Nu ne legati! Nu vrem!
N.C. Nu intelegi? Am dreptul sa ma prezint cum vreau, nelegat.
E.C. Nu! Nu! Nelegati! Nu e voie sa ne legati! Nu!
N.C. Nu!
O voce: Leag-o!
E.C. Nelegat! Nelegat! Nelegat! Ce, va e teama de popor? Ma, copiilor, ma!
Un militar ii pune lui Nicolae Ceausescu caciula pe cap. Alti militari ii leaga pe Nicolae Ceausescu si Elena Ceausescu.
E.C. Ma, copii, ma!
N.C. Va e teama, asta e!
E.C. Nu-mi rupeti miinile, ma, copii ma!
N.C. Va e teama! Niciodata n-am…
E.C. Ma, va e teama, ma!?
Un militar: Da’ aia care trag in noi ce sint?
E.C. Aia sint ai Securitatii, voi n-ati auzit? Nu ma legati!
N.C. Rusiine!
E.C. Rusine! V-am crescut ca o mama!
Un militar: Luati-i bratara de la mina.
E.C. Stati la un loc, ma!
Un militar: Las-o, ma, dracu’n pace!
E.C. Ce-i asta? Imi rupeti mina! Dati-mi drumu’ la mina!
Un militar: Leaga bine!
E.C. Dati-mi drumu’! De ce faceti asa? Dati-mi drumu’!
N.C. Asa spune legea…in toata lumea…
E.C. Aoleu, mai baiatule, ma, imi rupi mina, ma, baiatule, ma!
Un militar: Jumatate din cine sint morti acum sint din cauza dumneavoastra?
Un militar: Ai nostri!
Un militar: Colegii nostri, fratii nostri!
Un militar: Au copii, care mor!
Vorbesc mai multi oameni o data, inclusiv Elena Ceausescu.
E.C. Cine sintem noi…aicea, ma? Mai avem noi puterea?
Un militar: Las-o!
Vocile se intretaie.
E.C. Intrebati-i pe cei care au puterea.
Inculpatii ies din sala de judecata, insositi de mai multi soldati.
“Adevarata stenograma a procesului Ceausescu” (V), Totusi Iubirea, nr. 25 (42), iunie 1991, p. 7a.
Roland O. Thomasson, PHD 
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