Conversations about the involvement of States in the workings of the International Criminal Court often focus on the role of State cooperation in enabling the ICC to carry out criminal trials. However, there is a dimension to this cooperation that is underexplored. Whenever the ICC relies on the assistance of States, or States otherwise become involved in its functioning, the human rights of accused and witnesses involved in proceedings may be adversely affected. The simultaneous involvement of the ICC, ICC States Parties, and the ICC host State - whilst essential and unavoidable - can insert ambiguity and uncertainty into the protection of individuals, leaving the door open for human rights violations. This book explores this phenomenon of multi-actor human rights protection at the ICC. By setting out the relevant obligations of the different actors, the book highlights potential problems in human rights protection and proposes ways to mitigate them.

'This book is the first to comprehensively address human rights obligations of States Parties and the Host State in interacting and cooperating with international courts and tribunals, in particular the ICC. Emma Irving, in a masterfully crafted monograph, highlights legal gaps in human rights protection of accused persons and witnesses. The book is a must-read for policy-makers, legal counsel and scholars interested in human rights and international criminal justice.'

Elies van Sliedregt - Professor and Chair in International & Comparative Criminal Justice, University of Leeds

'This book carefully disentangles the complex web of protective obligations that different actors have towards individuals involved in ICC proceedings. It exposes incidental as well as structural gaps in the protective regimes. As such, the book offers a unique perspective. While critical in approach, it is written with great dedication to the overall goals of the ICC and is thus of enormous value for both academics and practitioners alike.'

Larissa van den Herik - Professor and Vice Dean of Leiden Law School, Leiden University