Victims' Rights and Advocacy at the International Criminal Court

Victims' Rights and Advocacy at the International Criminal Court explores the unique and vital role played by victims in cases before the ICC. Author T. Markus Funk draws on his experience in international criminal law to show how the ICC has developed procedural rights and other rules for the parts of ICC proceedings devoted to victims. To set the stage for that analysis, Funk first provides a background history on the ICC's creation and on the Rome Statute's development. This background detail helps the reader answer a number of key questions: How does the ICC compare to its predecessor ad hoc tribunals? What are the legal, theoretical, and political pillars on which the ICC is built? What are the upsides and downsides for sovereign nations considering participation in the ICC? Funk then moves beyond that legal background to propose reforms that would help the ICC fulfill its mission of redressing past atrocities while preserving victims' rights. Featuring a foreword by Paolina Massidda, Principal Counsel of the Office of Public Counsel for Victims at the International Criminal Court, Victims' Rights and Advocacy at the International Criminal Court equips lawyers, victim advocates, academics, government officials, and other decision-makers with a thorough understanding of the promises and potential pitfalls of victim advocacy at the ICC. In addition to discussing the foundation of victims' rights under international law, as well as the history and purpose of the ICC, the book examines the ICC's rules of procedure, rules of evidence, and other practical issues impacting daily litigation practice at the Court.