Understanding the International Criminal Court

70. What are the rights of victims before the ICC?

Victims before the ICC have rights that have never before been granted before an international criminal

court. Victims may be involved in the proceedings before the ICC in various ways:

•

victims can send  information to the Office of the Prosecutor  and ask the Office to initiate an

investigation;

•

at  a  trial,  a  victim  may  voluntarily  testify  before  the  Court,  if  called  as  a  witness  for  the

Defence or the Prosecution or other victims participating in the proceedings;

•

victims  are  also  entitled  to  participate  in  proceedings  through  a  legal  representative;  during

proceedings, victims may participate by presenting their views and concerns to the judges; such

participation  is  voluntary  and  enables  victims  to  express  an  opinion  independently  of  the

Prosecution or the Defence and offers them the opportunity to present their own concerns and

interests;

•

victims  participating  in  proceedings  may  also,  in  some  circumstances,  lead  evidence

pertaining  to  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  accused;  they  may  also  challenge  the

admissibility or the relevance of evidence presented by the parties;

•

lastly, victims can seek reparation for the harm that they have suffered.

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