The image of a former leader under oath forces a country to confront what it truly believes about itself. If the law can reach the powerful without malice, it becomes more than a set of punishments; it becomes a shared promise that no title can erase responsibility. That promise, once honored in public view, can begin to mend the quiet cynicism that has spread through families, feeds, and fractured communities.
But the same stage can teach the opposite lesson. If the process tilts, if shortcuts are excused because the defendant is hated or feared, then the message will be unmistakable: justice is just another weapon. Long after the verdict, people will remember whether the system stood taller than the moment—or shrank to fit it. In that choice, a nation decides what kind of power it is willing to obey.
