show trial
noun
(especially in a totalitarian state) the public trial of a political offender conducted chiefly for propagandistic purposes, as to suppress further dissent against the government by making an example of the accused.
Origin of show trial
First recorded in 1945–50
Words nearby show trial
British Dictionary definitions for show trial
show trial
noun
a trial conducted primarily to make a particular impression on the public or on other nations, esp one that demonstrates the power of the state over the individual