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> Updates and Developments > Trial Monitoring

NGOs, academic institutions, and other partners have become more and  more involved in monitoring hearings and trials before the ICC. This section  provides some information, relevant documents, and related links to help you  better follow the most recent trial developments at the ICC.

How to attend Court hearings
ICC hearings are public, unless the Chamber orders a  closed session. The public gallery seats 75 persons. Before going to a  hearing, we would recommend you to have a look at ICC Rules for hearings on the ICC Website. Please bring a valid identification document with  you. You may also check ICC Hearings  Schedule   on the Court’s website.

Partners monitoring ICC judicial activities
Some CICC Member NGOs and other partners have become  very involved in monitoring day to day trial activities at the Court. You will  find bellow a short description of their respective projects.

Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI)
As a project of to bring the ICC trials closer to the people most affected by the alleged crimes, the OSJI has set up the following websites: Lubanga Trial , Bemba Trial and Katanga Trial . Weekly Summaries from the courtroom, as well as regular Commentary and Legal Analysis concerning important legal developments are also posted on the site. A website on the two trials in the Kenya situation and on the trial against Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus will follow soon.

International  Bar Association (IBA): As part of its  new ICC Monitoring and Outreach Programme, the International Bar Association  monitors and reports on the work and the proceedings of the ICC, focusing in  particular on issues affecting the fair trial rights of the accused, the  implementation of the 1998 Rome Statute, the Rules of Procedure and Evidence,  and related ICC documents, in the context of relevant international standards.  Reports on monitoring are available on the IBA website.

Institute  for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR): The  Institute for War and Peace Reporting, a media development NGO long specialised  in covering the ICTY, has been continuing its new commitment to regular  features and analysis of the ICC. You may read IWPR’s latest pieces on the ICC  on IWPR’s  website

Trial Watch is  a Project of TRIAL (Track Impunity Always) a Swiss Association against  Impunity. The website offers access to summaries of numerous criminal  proceedings in the field of international criminal law (essentially concerning  genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture), which took place  (or are taking place) in national or international courts.  Apart from  short descriptions of the facts underlying the processes, the site also offers  abstracts of the legal proceedings and links to relevant documents. (judgments,  NGO reports, bibliographies, news articles, etc.)

The  Hague Justice Portal This portal is a gateway to information, news and research on the Hague  organisations in the fields of international peace, justice and security.  It seeks to improve access to the Hague courts, tribunals and  organisations and to encourage academic debate.

Tools for Trial Monitoring: Core Documents and Jurisprudence Databases
Various databases have been developed to include ICC core documents and jurisprudence: 
ICC's Legal Tools Database
ICL Database & Commentary 
War Crimes Research Office database
DomCLIC Project: Domestic Jurisprudence on International Criminal Law

With more judicial activities taking place before the ICC, the CICC Secretariat has decided to issue weekly summaries of the ICC proceedings. Although very informal in nature (we rely on dedicated interns here), they can serve as a tool for keeping track of relevant developments in the courtroom week by week.  Please find below the summaries issued to far.