Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander, flanked by ASP President Sidiki Kaba and ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández, opens the Rome Statute to symbolise the official opening the ICC Permanent Premises in April this year.
By Journalists For Justice
Witnesses testifying at the International Criminal Court will now be better protected in the institution’s new premises, which were officially opened in April this year.
They will sit in a separate room, where they will not be visible to accused persons in the courtroom, and may accompanied by someone to support, say a psychologist, should they need one.
Previously, witnesses would sit the courtroom with the accused, albeit shielded by a screen. Some people felt intimidated testifying against accused persons in such close proximity.
The ICC was established on July 1, 2002, in two buildings at The Hague but moved into the new, permanent premises, which were completed in December 2015. The building complex has six towers that are connected on the ground and first floors with over 1,200 workplaces
