Part 4—Other requests by ICC

Division 6—Questioning of person being investigated or prosecuted



71 Procedure where person questioned

(1) Before a person is questioned under section 70, the person must be informed that there are grounds to believe that he or she has committed a crime within the jurisdiction of the ICC and that he or she has the following rights:

(a) the right to remain silent without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;
(b) the right to have legal assistance of his or her choosing or, if he or she does not have legal assistance, to have legal assistance assigned to him or her in any case where the interests of justice so require and without payment by him or her in such a case if he or she does not have sufficient means to pay for the assistance;
(c) the right to have his or her legal representative present when he or she is questioned unless he or she has voluntarily waived that right.

(2) If there is any inconsistency between subsection (1) and any other Australian law, subsection (1) prevails.

(3) This section does not give to any person a power to require another person to answer questions.

An Act to facilitate compliance by Australia with obligations under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and for related purposes

Part 3 Requests by the ICC for arrest and surrender of persons

Division 3—Arrest of persons

23 Remand

(1) If a person is arrested under a warrant issued under section 20 or 21, the person executing the warrant must, as soon as practicable after the arrest:

(a) give to the person under arrest a written notice that:

specifies the crime within the jurisdiction of the ICC in respect of which the warrant was issued; and
describes the conduct that is alleged to constitute that crime ; and

(b) bring the person under arrest before a magistrate in the State or Territory in which the arrest took place.

An Act to facilitate compliance by Australia with obligations under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and for related purposes

Part 4 Other requests by ICC

Division 5—Taking evidence or producing documents or articles

67 Legal representation

(1) The evidence of a witness may be taken under section 65 in the presence or absence of:

the person to whom the investigation conducted by the Prosecutor, or the proceeding before the ICC, relates; or

his or her legal representative (if any).

(2) The magistrate conducting a proceeding under either section 65 or 66, or both, may permit:

if the person to whom the investigation conducted by the Prosecutor, or the proceeding before the ICC, relates has been notified of the proceeding before the magistrate—that person; and

any other person giving evidence or producing documents or other articles at the proceeding before the magistrate; and

a representative of the Prosecutor or of the ICC;

to have legal representation at the proceeding before the magistrate.

An Act to facilitate compliance by Australia with obligations under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and for related purposes

Part 4 Other requests by ICC

Division 6—Questioning of person being investigated or prosecuted

71 Procedure where person questioned

(1) Before a person is questioned under section 70, the person must be informed that there are grounds to believe that he or she has Division 6 Questioning of person being investigated or prosecuted committed a crime within the jurisdiction of the ICC and that he or she has the following rights:

the right to remain silent without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;

the right to have legal assistance of his or her choosing or, if he or she does not have legal assistance, to have legal assistance assigned to him or her in any case where the interests of justice so require and without payment by him or her in such a case if he or she does not have sufficient means to pay for the assistance;

the right to have his or her legal representative present when he or she is questioned unless he or she has voluntarily waived that right.

If there is any inconsistency between subsection (1) and any other Australian law, subsection (1) prevails.

This section does not give to any person a power to require another person to answer questions.

An Act to facilitate compliance by Australia with obligations under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and for related purposes

Part 6—Search, seizure and powers of arrest

Division 4—Arrest and related matters

131 Persons to be informed of grounds of arrest

A person who arrests another person under this Act or pursuant to a warrant issued under this Act must inform the other person, at the time of the arrest, of the crime in respect of which, or, if the other person is arrested under section 182, the reason for which, the other person is being arrested.

It is sufficient if the other person is informed of the substance of the crime or reason, and it is not necessary that this be done in language of a precise or technical nature.

Article 55
Rights of persons during an investigation
1. In respect of an investigation under this Statute, a person:
(a) Shall not be compelled to incriminate himself or herself or to confess guilt;
(b) Shall not be subjected to any form of coercion, duress or threat, to torture or to any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
(c) Shall, if questioned in a language other than a language the person fully understands and speaks, have, free of any cost, the assistance of a competent interpreter and such translations as are necessary to meet the requirements of fairness; and
(d) Shall not be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention, and shall not be deprived of his or her liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established in this Statute.
2. Where there are grounds to believe that a person has committed a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court and that person is about to be questioned either by the Prosecutor, or by national authorities pursuant to a request made under Part 9, that person shall also have the following rights of which he or she shall be informed prior to being questioned:
(a) To be informed, prior to being questioned, that there are grounds to believe that he or she has committed a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;
(b) To remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;
(c) To have legal assistance of the person's choosing, or, if the person does not have legal assistance, to have legal assistance assigned to him or her, in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment by the person in any such case if the person does not have sufficient means to pay for it; and
(d) To be questioned in the presence of counsel unless the person has voluntarily waived his or her right to counsel.

Article 63
Trial in the presence of the accused
1. The accused shall be present during the trial.
2. If the accused, being present before the Court, continues to disrupt the trial, the Trial Chamber may remove the accused and shall make provision for him or her to observe the trial and instruct counsel from outside the courtroom, through the use of communications technology, if required. Such measures shall be taken only in exceptional circumstances after other reasonable alternatives have proved inadequate, and only for such duration as is strictly required.

Article 66
Presumption of innocence
1. Everyone shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty before the Court in accordance with the applicable law.
2. The onus is on the Prosecutor to prove the guilt of the accused.
3. In order to convict the accused, the Court must be convinced of the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Article 67
Rights of the accused
1. In the determination of any charge, the accused shall be entitled to a public hearing, having regard to the provisions of this Statute, to a fair hearing conducted impartially, and to the following minimum guarantees, in full equality:
(a) To be informed promptly and in detail of the nature, cause and content of the charge, in a language which the accused fully understands and speaks;
(b) To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of the defence and to communicate freely with counsel of the accused's choosing in confidence;
(c) To be tried without undue delay;
(d) Subject to article 63, paragraph 2, to be present at the trial, to conduct the defence in person or through legal assistance of the accused's choosing, to be informed, if the accused does not have legal assistance, of this right and to have legal assistance assigned by the Court in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment if the accused lacks sufficient means to pay for it;
(e) To examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him or her and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his or her behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him or her. The accused shall also be entitled to raise defences and to present other evidence admissible under this Statute;
(f) To have, free of any cost, the assistance of a competent interpreter and such translations as are necessary to meet the requirements of fairness, if any of the proceedings of or documents presented to the Court are not in a language which the accused fully understands and speaks;
(g) Not to be compelled to testify or to confess guilt and to remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;
(h) To make an unsworn oral or written statement in his or her defence; and
(i) Not to have imposed on him or her any reversal of the burden of proof or any onus of rebuttal.
2. In addition to any other disclosure provided for in this Statute, the Prosecutor shall, as soon as practicable, disclose to the defence evidence in the Prosecutor's possession or control which he or she believes shows or tends to show the innocence of the accused, or to mitigate the guilt of the accused, or which may affect the credibility of prosecution evidence. In case of doubt as to the application of this paragraph, the Court shall decide.