Témoins

 

Plusieurs types de témoins peuvent déposer devant la Cour.

  • Les témoins des faits ont des connaissances et déposent au sujet de ce qui s'est passé. Il peut s'agir de témoins qui ont subi un préjudice et témoignent de ce qui leur est arrivé. Certains peuvent également avoir la qualité de victime participant à la procédure devant la Cour ; ils ont alors la double qualité de témoin et de victime.

  • Les témoins privilégiés ont eu des rapports directs avec l'accusé.

  • Les témoins experts déposent sur des questions relevant de leur domaine de compétence et sont, par exemple, experts en balistique ou en médecine légale.

  • Les témoins de situation aident à établir des faits essentiels concernant le contexte dans lequel le conflit a eu lieu et peuvent notamment être des professeurs ou des représentants d'une ONG.

 

 

Ces témoins peuvent être cités à comparaître, ou appelés à déposer, par le Bureau du Procureur, la Défense, le représentant légal des victimes ou les juges eux‑mêmes.

Appui pratique

Le personnel du Greffe de la CPI offre aux témoins un appui pratique sous différentes formes, allant de l'obtention de visas pour qu'ils puissent se rendre au siège de la Cour à La Haye (Pays‑Bas) et l'assistance pendant leur voyage et leur séjour au lieu de leur déposition, à la mise en place de services de vidéoconférence leur permettant de déposer plus près de leur lieu de résidence lorsque la Chambre les y autorise.

Familiarisation

L'une des formes particulières d'appui aux témoins qui viennent déposer à l'audience à la CPI est le processus de « familiarisation », au cours duquel des membres du Greffe leur montrent à l'avance la salle d'audience pour qu'ils s'assoient à la barre des témoins et découvrent la salle avant que les audiences ne commencent. On leur explique où se tiennent les avocats de la Défense, les représentants de l'Accusation, les représentants légaux des victimes (le cas échéant) et les juges. Ils s'essaient à la manipulation des écrans et des micros, et posent au besoin des questions d'ordre pratique. Le personnel n'aborde aucun élément de leurs dépositions avec eux. Le Greffe vérifie également s'il est nécessaire de prendre des mesures particulières pour que le témoin dépose en toute sécurité, et tient également compte de la protection de sa vie privée, sa dignité et son bien‑être.

As part of the Courtroom familiarization process, ICC staff members show witnesses photos of the representatives of the parties that will be inside the Courtroom during the hearing © Frank Schinski

Familiarisation protocols

Allowances

As practical support, witnesses – independently of the party calling them – may receive two types of allowances to compensate for the financial burden related to the testimonies.  

Incidental allowance

This covers the costs related to the witness's personal expenses in the location and for the duration of the testimony while testifying. It is evaluated based on the cost of living in this location.

Attendance allowance

This provides compensation for wages, earnings and time lost as a result of the witnesses' absence from their place of residence for the purpose of their appearance before the Court.

In accordance with regulations 84(2) and 85(3)(a) of the Regulations of the Registry, the Registrar determines the rates and reviews them annually. Allowance rates are established for various countries, in order to cover possible residence of the witnesses and possible location of video-link testimony.

Table of allowances

Protection

 

The Court has a number of protective measures that can be granted to witnesses, victims who appear before the Court and other persons at risk on account of testimony given by a witness. The Court's protection system is based on best practices which are aimed at concealing the witness's interaction with the Court from their community and from the public in general.

Where witnesses reside

Protective measures where witnesses reside aim to limit the witness's exposure to threats or provide an appropriate response to an identified threat. Measures must be proportional to the risk. When there are multiple suitable and available options for protective measures, the Court will choose those that are the least intrusive on the witness's wellbeing. These measures could include local protection measures, an assisted move or various security arrangements aimed at addressing the identified threat. Witness relocation is only used as a last resort, due to the immense burden this puts on the witnesses and their families.

In the Courtroom

The Chamber can order certain protective measures that apply while the witness testifies in order to protect the witness's identity and whereabouts. Such measures may consist of face/voice distortion while the witness is giving evidence and/or the use of a pseudonym. Judges can also conduct parts of hearings in private or closed sessions when necessary to protect the witness's identity or the identity of other persons at risk on account of testimony.

Witness with the face distorsion protection measures © ICC-CPI

 

 

Special measures: Trauma and vulnerability

The Registry is equipped with staff members with expertise in trauma, including trauma related to crimes of sexual violence. The Registry is mandated to advise the Chambers on measures to be taken to facilitate their testimony and to prevent psychological harm resulting from appearing before the Court. Special measures can then be ordered for vulnerable witnesses like children, elderly persons or victims of sexual violence, and/or any other vulnerable witnesses who are at increased risk of psychological harm or who may experience difficulties testifying before the Court. Measures to facilitate witnesses' testimony include in-court assistance, such as having a psychologist in Court to monitor the witness's well-being, allowing a support person to sit next to the witness in Court, adapting the setup of the courtroom such as shielding the accused in order to prevent eye contact between the witness and the suspect or accused, using a video-link to allow the witness to testify from a witness-friendly location (outside the courtroom), or putting in place measures to adapt the questioning to the needs and capacities of the witness, for instance, to avoid unnecessarily intrusive, embarrassing or repetitive questions to victims of sexual violence. 

Vulnerability protocols

Protective measures do not affect the fairness of a trial. They are used to make witnesses safe and preserve their well-being. They apply equally to all witnesses, no matter if they are called by the Prosecution, the Defence, the Legal Representatives of Victims or the Judges. All parties are bound by confidentiality and must respect protective measures granted by the Chamber. At the same time, even when protective measures are applied, witnesses can still be cross-examined inside the Courtroom.

International Criminal Court Bar Association

The International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) is an independent, professional association representing the interests of Counsel and legal Support Staff who represent victims, defendants and other actors (such as witnesses) before the ICC. The ICCBA serves as a collective voice for its membership, and provides them a range of support and services, as well as acting as a forum for discussion on all matters pertaining to the Court. The ICCBA's operations are primarily funded by the subscriptions paid by its members, and it is governed by an elected President (currently Marie-Hélène Proulx) and Executive Council, with eight elected standing committees responsible for specific issues and activities.