Understanding the International Criminal Court

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78. What decisions may the judges take concerning reparations for victims at the end of a 

trial?

At the end of a trial, the Trial Chamber may order a convicted person to pay compensation to the victims

of the crimes of which the person was found guilty. Reparations may include monetary compensation,

return of property, rehabilitation or symbolic measures such as apologies or memorials.

The Court may award reparations on an individual or collective basis, whichever is, in its opinion, the

most appropriate for the victims in the particular case. An advantage of collective reparations is that

they provide relief to an entire community and help its members to rebuild their lives, such as the

building of victim services centres or the taking of symbolic measures. Furthermore, States Parties

to the Rome Statute have established a Trust Fund for Victims of crimes within the jurisdiction of the

ICC and for their families in order to raise the funds necessary to comply with an order for reparations

made by the Court if the convicted person does not have sufficient resources to do so.