Privileges and immunities – witnesses – APIC

Independent State of Samoa

International Criminal Court Act 2007, No.26

PART VIII LEGAL STATUS OF THE ICC AND PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF OFFICIALS OF THE ICC

108. Legal personality and privileges and immunities-

(3) The Judges, the Attorney General, the Assistant Attorneys General, the Prosecutor, the Deputy Prosecutors, the Registrar, the Deputy Registrar, staff of the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Prosecutor and of the Registry, counsel, experts, witnesses, and other persons required to be in Samoa for the performance of official functions or for participation in proceedings before the ICC shall have the privileges and immunities set out in article 48 of the Statute and the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the ICC.

(4) Article 48 of the Statute and articles 2 to 11, 13 to 22, 25 to 27, 29 and 30 of the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the ICC shall have the force of law in Samoa, and references in those articles to the State Party shall, for this purpose, be construed as references to Samoa.

APIC

ARTICLE 19 Witnesses

1. Witnesses shall enjoy the following privileges, immunities and facilities to the extent necessary for their appearance before the Court for purposes of giving evidence, including the time spent on journeys in connection with their appearance before the Court, subject to the production of the document referred to in paragraph 2 of this article:

2. Witnesses who enjoy the privileges, immunities and facilities referred to in paragraph 1 of this article shall be provided by the Court with a document certifying that their appearance is required by the Court and specifying a time period during which such appearance is necessary.

(a) Immunity from personal arrest or detention;

(b) Without prejudice to subparagraph (d) below, immunity from seizure of their personal baggage unless there are serious grounds for believing that the baggage contains articles the import or export of which is prohibited by law or controlled by the quarantine regulations of the State Party concerned;

(c) Immunity from legal process of every kind in respect of words spoken or written and all acts performed by them in the course of their testimony, which immunity shall continue to be accorded even after their appearance and testimony before the Court;

(d) Inviolability of papers and documents in whatever form and materials relating to their testimony;

(e) For purposes of their communications with the Court and counsel in connection with their testimony, the right to receive and send papers and documents in whatever form;

(f) Exemption from immigration restrictions or alien registration when they travel for purposes of their testimony;

(g) The same repatriation facilities in time of international crisis as are accorded to diplomatic agents under the Vienna Convention.