'Provisional arrest - detention pending surrender' in document 'Switzerland: Law on Cooperation with the ICC'

Jump to:

RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION

CHAPTER III: SURRENDER OF PERSONS BEING PROSECUTED AND OF PERSONS CONVICTED BY THE COURT
SECTION II: DETENTION PENDING SURRENDER AND SEIZURE

Art. 20 Detention pending surrender

1 Detention pending surrender generally shall be maintained throughout the proceedings.

2 Detention may exceptionally be lifted at any stage of the proceedings if it appears justified under the circumstances. The person may at any time submit an application for interim release. Before reaching a decision, the Central Authority shall inform the Court and give full consideration to the Court’s recommendations. The decision of the Central Authority may be appealed within ten days of written presentation of the decision; appeals must be lodged with the Federal Supreme Court. Articles 214 et seq. of the Federal Law of 15 June 1934 on Federal Criminal Procedure shall apply by analogy.

3 If the person already is being held in pre-trial detention or is serving a prison sentence, the warrant for detention pending surrender shall have the following effects in particular, subject to other instructions of the Court:
a. Without approval of the Central Authority, the person may neither be released nor deported from Switzerland.
b. Approval of the Central Authority shall be necessary for alleviation of the conditions of detention.
c. Visitation rights may only be granted and correspondence may only be censored in agreement with the Central Authority

RELEVANT ROME STATUTE PROVISIONS

Article 92
Provisional arrest
1. In urgent cases, the Court may request the provisional arrest of the person sought, pending presentation of the request for surrender and the documents supporting the request as specified in article 91.
2. The request for provisional arrest shall be made by any medium capable of delivering a written record and shall contain:
(a) Information describing the person sought, sufficient to identify the person, and information as to that person's probable location;
(b) A concise statement of the crimes for which the person's arrest is sought and of the facts which are alleged to constitute those crimes, including, where possible, the date and location of the crime;
(c) A statement of the existence of a warrant of arrest or a judgement of conviction against the person sought; and
(d) A statement that a request for surrender of the person sought will follow.
3. A person who is provisionally arrested may be released from custody if the requested State has not received the request for surrender and the documents supporting the request as specified in article 91 within the time limits specified in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. However, the person may consent to surrender before the expiration of this period if permitted by the law of the requested State. In such a case, the requested State shall proceed to surrender the person to the Court as soon as possible.
4. The fact that the person sought has been released from custody pursuant to paragraph 3 shall not prejudice the subsequent arrest and surrender of that person if the request for surrender and the documents supporting the request are delivered at a later date.