Aleksandrov Petr Akimovich, whose years of life was 1838-1893, was one of the most prominent representatives of the legal department, a prosecutor, and then an outstanding lawyer. Despite his oratory talent, he was not destined to make a brilliant career, since, according to contemporaries, he did not want to subordinate his will to the strict command of others. One of the most famous cases in which he acted as a defender was the case of Vera Zasulich.
Severe childhood experiences
Petr Akimovich Alexandrov was born in the family of an inconspicuous clergyman in the Oryol province. Because of his petty fasting, the father could not adequately provide for his wife and children, so they often endured want and adversity. Along with Peter's observations of life, this subsequently left an imprint on both the way of thinking and his mentality.
One of his acquaintances recalled that the future lawyer Pyotr Akimovich Alexandrov often spoke about the difficult conditions of a past life. His parents suffered a lot from the arbitrariness of the powerful. The human dignity of his father was often subjected to insults, which he humbly endured.
However, difficult childhood impressions contributed to the fact that Pyotr Akimovich gained independence in his views and judgments, firmness in his convictions, and intransigence in character. This served him well in the prosecution and advocacy field.
In the legal service
Next, we consider the main milestones of the biography of Peter Akimovich Alexandrov.
- He received his secondary education at the seminary, where he found a penchant for the humanitarian field and a decision was made to go to lawyers.
- In the years 1855-1860. Peter Akimovich studied at the Faculty of Law at the University of St. Petersburg. At the end, he received the degree of candidate of law. During his studies, he was a tutor and attended lectures at the Faculty of History.
- 1860 - served in the Ministry of Justice as a college secretary, and then as a judicial investigator in Tsarskoye Selo County.
- 1866 — appointment of the prosecutor as a fellow prosecutor to the St. Petersburg District Court, and less than a year later, the prosecutor of the Pskov court.
- 1871 — transfer to the court of St. Petersburg as a fellow prosecutor.
- 1872-1873 - Service as a prosecutor in a court of law.
- 1874 - Appointment of the Chief Prosecutor to the Senate Cassation Department.
- 1875 - giving a conclusion regarding the case of Suvorin and Watson, who were accused of slander in the press. They defended an independent press. Due to dissatisfaction with the management’s conclusion, Aleksandrov was forced to resign from service at the beginning of next year.
Attorney at Law
Following the resignation, Aleksandrov got a job as a lawyer and took part in many high-profile cases. Among which are: 193, Vera Zasulich, Kutaisi and others. More details about each of them will be discussed below. In these cases, the oratory of the lawyer was very noticeable.
According to B. Glinsky, he was a brilliant speaker who was able to bring together the depth of content and the perfection of form, to create a harmonious, harmonious defense building that could be taken as a model for future lawyers.
Aleksandrov gained fame as a lawyer of the highest qualification, thoroughly studying the case materials, always delving into all its subtleties. His speeches in court were distinguished by restraint and a clear composition.
Empire Propaganda Case
That was the official name of the Process of one hundred ninety-three. It was understood in St. Petersburg, in the Senate, in a special presence in 1877-1878. behind closed doors and concerned revolutionaries-populists. There were about 4 thousand people involved in it, but many of them were exiled even before the trial, 97 people went crazy or died.
Despite the fact that the defendants belonged to different organizations, most of them were involved from 1873 to 1877. as organizers of a secret community of revolutionaries. The main defendants in the case were: Kovalik, Voinaraalsky, Rogachev, Myshkin. Myshkin was also accused of trying to organize the escape of Chernyshevsky, who was in exile in Vilyuisk.
Advocates in this trial were the best Petersburg lawyers. It was here that the little-known lawyer Aleksandrov attracted attention as a defender. This happened in connection with his well-thought-out speech and convincing polemics with the prosecutor.
One of the participants in the trial of the 193s, evaluating the court speech of Pyotr Akimovich Alexandrov, wrote that even among a friendly choir of excellent defense, his voice was the cleanest and with the highest notes. Anyone who was present at this speech will never forget it.
The case of the attempt on the mayor
Soon after, a case was heard on which Vera Zasulich was accused of attempted assassination of Trepov, the mayor of St. Petersburg. Aleksandrov’s defensive speech in this process contributed to his fame both in Russia and abroad.
In the summer of 1877 Trepov F.F. ordered the flogging of the populist A.S. Bogolyubov, a former political prisoner, only for the reason that he did not take off his headdress. In fact, the order of the mayor to punish with rods went against the law prohibiting corporal punishment from 04.17.1863. He was an occasion for indignation of the Russian public.
In February 1878, having come to see Trepov, Zasulich seriously wounded the general with a shot from a revolver. She was immediately arrested, and at the trial the jury treated her with sympathy. According to the law, a prison was threatened for crimes of this kind - from 15 to 20 years. The jury, held in April 1878, the defendant was fully acquitted.
From pygmies to giants
In addition to the position of Koni A.F., the presiding judge of the court , the acquittal was influenced by the work of P.A. Aleksandrov, the defense attorney. As the St. Petersburg lawyer and publicist L.D. Instead of recognized talents representing the St. Petersburg legal profession, she settled on an unknown retired official.
Pyotr Akimovich Alexandrov was considered as a pygmy who took on the burden of a giant. It was believed that he, cursing, would ruin the matter. However, despite all the expectations, after giving a speech to those around it became clear that a talent had revealed to them - colossal, military, powerful. The defender came out of the courtroom famous, bearing the seal of glory.
The next day, his speech was printed in newspapers, and his name thundered throughout Russia. Talent Alexandrova received public recognition. Yesterday's pygmy became a giant overnight. And this is due to one of his speech, which showed the power of his talent.
Effect of Attorney Position
However, the judgment that Pyotr Akimovich Aleksandrov owed fame to the external effect produced by his speech would be incorrect. Quite the contrary, its difference, in particular, lies in the absence of unnecessary colors and in the moderation of tone. In the speech, it was brilliantly demonstrated that the crime of V. Zasulich is by no means a pre-planned, long-considered action. His motive was the combination of actions of the mayor Trepov, which constituted lawlessness. That was the reason for the attempt.
With great persuasion, Pyotr Akimovich Aleksandrov showed that it was not Zasulich who should be in the dock, but, on the contrary, the one who was in the process as the victim. In fact, it was he who should appear in the case as the accused. Without a doubt, Aleksandrov’s speech influenced the jury verdict to a large extent.
As for the highest governmental and bureaucratic circles, they perceived the defender's appearance in court with a pronounced disapproval. However, this could not shake his stamina and courage in the convictions of a court speaker.
Kutaisi affair
He is also called the Sarah Modebadze Case, according to which the Jews in Sachkheri were accused of having abducted and killed a peasant girl. In the XIX century. in Russia, there were massive accusations of Jews in ritual use of the blood of Christians. In the second half of the XIX century. they settled in large numbers in the city of Kutaisi and carried out small trade there.
This contributed to the growth of anti-Semitic sentiments and led to the construction of slander against the Jews. The process of 1879 caused a wide public response in connection with the revival of the myth of ritual crimes. The defendants in the case were acquitted.
The main defenders at the trial were P. A. Alexandrov and L. A. Kupernik. Here, the talent of Pyotr Akimovich manifested itself with no less force than in the previous case.
Against national hatred
When defending innocent people, the lawyer understood the importance of public resonance caused by the case, and his own role in it. Therefore, he tried to give his speech a large-scale public sound. Having correctly assessed the social roots of this shameful business, its dirty nutrient medium, the wonderful Russian lawyer Pyotr Akimovich Alexandrov raised his voice in defense of people who were sacrificed to ideas whose purpose is to incite ethnic hatred.
Pyotr Akimovich, having carefully studied the material related to the case under consideration, understood the intricacies of special issues examined by the court. This gave him the opportunity to successfully refute the arguments of the examination underlying the prosecution.
P. A. Alexandrov realized that the broad advanced layers in Russia were listening to his voice. With his inherent courage, he opened the atmosphere in which the case was fabricated. At the beginning of his speech, he noted that the whole of Russia wanted to know about the process, that it would be discussed by Russian public opinion.
He emphasized that his speech was intended not only for one trial, but also for those people who defile the sentence with insolent slander if it contradicts their dirty desires.
Instructive word
In this process, Pyotr Akimovich Aleksandrov proved himself to be an orator, having won a huge well-deserved authority. And also as a defender, deeply interested and taking to the heart the social roots of this high-profile case. In his very informative speech, attention was paid not only to evidence, but also to the public atmosphere that could give rise to such grave accusations and prosecution of innocent people.
Having carried out a thorough analysis of the elements of the crime, having carefully examined the evidence presented by the prosecutor, the defender skillfully pointed out the groundlessness of the arguments presented by the prosecutor. When the analysis of the evidence was completed, he sought once again to emphasize the social significance that this process had. In his carefully worked out main conclusion, he noted that this case:
- It will be a reminder of justice to the Russian people, which is only required so that such sad events do not recur.
- It is an instructive word for public figures who hold in their power honor and freedom.
- He will remind Russian investigators that one cannot get carried away by popular superstitions, but should dominate them.
- He will tell the prosecutors that they are needed and dear to society, not only because they protect it from criminal encroachments, but also as guards from false accusations and unfounded suspicions.
The logic and power of persuasion
The main characteristics of judicial oratory by Pyotr Akimovich Alexandrov are:
- Iron logic.
- Sequence of judgments.
- Ability to weigh evidence.
- Ability to convincing argumentation.
- The validity of the most important arguments.
Although he did not create particularly vivid images in his speeches, he always strove to make them understandable and accessible. Therefore, they were distinguished by a light style, clear and clean language. But his most important feature as a lawyer was the power of persuasion, which, combined with the speaker’s talent, gave him the opportunity to successfully participate in many complex criminal cases. The award of Peter Akimovich Alexandrov for his services was the Order of St. Anne. He suffered from asthma and died in 1893.