Identifying and Locating Potential Witnesses of International Crimes through Third Parties ‘On the Ground’: A Trauma-Informed Process?

Suzanne Schot

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl.2352

Autores/as

Suzanne Schot Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5102-4526

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.2352

Palabras clave:

Víctimas, testigos, trauma, investigaciones penales, crímenes internacionales

Resumen

Las víctimas y los testigos de crímenes internacionales, como el genocidio, los crímenes de guerra y los crímenes contra la humanidad, pueden sufrir traumas psicológicos o secuelas relacionadas como consecuencia directa de los crímenes. Relatar estas experiencias conlleva un riesgo considerable de victimización secundaria o retraumatización. Este riesgo debe tenerse muy en cuenta no solo durante las investigaciones y los enjuiciamientos penales internacionales, sino también en la fase preliminar de identificación y localización de posibles testigos. En este artículo se examina de forma crítica la participación de terceros en la identificación de posibles testigos, distinguiendo entre organizaciones con diferentes mandatos y los denominados intermediarios. El análisis se basa en la bibliografía académica pertinente, la jurisprudencia y las transcripciones de los procedimientos. Las conclusiones sugieren que, aunque se han realizado esfuerzos para regular (cada vez más) la participación de terceros en la localización de posibles testigos, la aplicación de un proceso que tenga en cuenta el trauma requiere procedimientos formulados con mayor precisión. Esto es esencial para salvaguardar el bienestar psicológico de las víctimas y los testigos desde las primeras etapas de las investigaciones.

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Biografía del autor/a

Suzanne Schot, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Assistant Professor of International Criminal Law at the Department of Criminal Law of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Email: s.l.schot@vu.nl

Citas

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