Understanding the International Criminal Court

85. How are witnesses who appear before the Court assisted? 

Witnesses who appear before the Court are provided with information and guidance. For this purpose,

the  Victims  and  Witnesses  Unit’s  (VWU’s)  support  team  offers  services  including  the  provision  of

psychosocial support, crisis intervention, and access to medical care when needed.

The VWU also prepares all witnesses testifying before the Court by a process called “familiarisation”.

This is a process where the courtroom and trial procedure is shown to the witnesses in advance of their

testimony. Many witnesses will have never been in a courtroom before and may find it daunting. This

could impact on their well-being, as well as their testimony, and the familiarisation process aims to

avoid this. Familiarisation does not have an impact on the content of the testimony, as the evidence is

not discussed at all during this process.

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