Examining the rights of witnesses in Iran's criminal law system with a view to the International Criminal Court

Testimony is known as one of the evidences to prove a lawsuit or the fastest way to access evidences in legal systems, and its performance at different stages of proceedings is a manifestation of the cooperation of citizens and the community with the enforcement of criminal justice in finding the truth. Undoubtedly, the discovery of the truth as much as it makes the victims and the plaintiffs hope for justice, it makes the accused and the criminals angry and arouses a sense of revenge in them. And this retaliation against the witnesses due to the testimony of the perpetrators of the crimes makes it necessary to protect the witnesses. In this regard, witnesses can be supported by adopting different support methods, especially preventive measures before and during the proceedings and even after. Witnesses also have rights in the judicial process, which should be considered in comparison with the rights of other persons involved in the case. The present study examines the measures and witness rights in Iran's legal system with a brief look at the procedure of the International Criminal Court, which supports financial, mental security and physical security of the witness, including the mechanisms designed to encourage witnesses to cooperate with the criminal justice system, and in this regard, measures such as concealing the identity of the witness, physical protection from the witness, honoring, changing the job and place of residence and Compensation for the damages caused to the witness will benefit.