Rome Statutes of the ICC: PART 5 Article 55 - Rights of persons during an investigation

PART 5 

Article 55 - Rights of persons during an investigation

In respect of an investigation under this Statue, a person:: 

Shall not be compelled to incriminate himself or herself or to confess to guilt;

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;  and

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;

Shall not be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention;  and shall be deprived of his or her liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established in the Statute.

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 of this Statute, that person shall also have the following rights of which he or she shall be informed prior to being questioned:

 - 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;

 - To remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;

 - 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;

 - To be questioned in the presence of counsel unless the person has voluntarily waived his or her right to counsel.