The trial of Kamenev, Zinoviev and 14 others in August 1936, known as the Trial of the Sixteen, was a show trial staged by Stalin to consolidate his power. The defendants, accused of assassinating Kirov and plotting against Stalin with Trotsky, admitted to the absurd charges against them and were all found guilty of treason and executed, despite one being already imprisoned. The trial further cemented Stalin's control and influence over the Communist Party through these public purges of perceived political enemies.