Every year, acts of terrorism kill, injure and harm thousands of innocent victims of all races, cultures and religious beliefs all over the world.
In the past, victims of crime, including terrorism, have too often been the forgotten parties in the criminal justice system. In recent years, however, there has been greater recognition of the rights and roles that these important actors have within the criminal justice framework.
An integral part of the international community's efforts to counter terrorism is bringing perpetrators of terrorist acts to justice and holding them to account for their actions, in accordance with the rule of law and human rights. This fundamental principle requires that Member States establish and implement effective, rule of law-based national measures for the investigation and prosecution of such crimes, and to protect and support victims of such crimes, within the criminal justice system.
In light of this, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was requested by Member States in General Assembly resolution 68/187 of 18 December 2013, among other measures, to "continue to enhance specialized legal knowledge through the preparation of best practices, in close coordination with Member States, on assistance to and support for victims of terrorism, including the role of victims within the criminal justice
framework".
This publication represents the outcome of an expert group meeting convened by UNODC and held on 24 and 25 November 2014. At this meeting, experts from Member States, the United Nations, civil society and relevant bodies met to share experiences and discuss challenges and approaches to providing greater support to victims of terrorism within the criminal justice framework. As a result of these discussions and deliberations, including on available international, multilateral and regional instruments and normative frameworks, the experts elaborated a number of recommended good practices, which are set out in this publication.
These recommendations are aimed at assisting Member States to establish and enhance policies, laws and institutional capacity to provide improved outcomes for victims, while fully respecting the rule of law and rights of accused persons. We hope the publication will contribute to the growing body of jurisprudence in this important subject area.
