I mean trials in absentia are super common, including in Western democracies. If you're confident you can prosecute but unable to detain the defendant, then you can still try them without them being physically present.
We were actively trying animals in open court until the end of the eighteenth century as far as I can prove but probably actually later than that since iirc a circus elephant in like 19xx was tried for a few deaths it caused. So it's probably fair to say we're not smart people.