Every day, countless criminal cases are heard all over the world. The vast majority of them attract no public attention whatsoever. The visitors' chairs in the courtrooms usually remain empty. However, every now and then a criminal trial becomes a major media event. Such criminal trials are exciting, accompanied by passionate debates and discussions, and move the masses. The court appears as a stage on which a performance is given that keeps the public in suspense. It is often said then that such trials have left the realm of law in the narrow sense. They have become political.