Right to Counsel at the I nternational Cri minal Trials

Right to counsel is one of rights that in different countries legal proceedings and in international instruments on human rights accepted. This paper seeks to examine the defendant's right to counsel in criminal trials of international courts. In this regard, the right to counsel viewed in the criminal trails of the Nuremburg, Tokyo, Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals and the International Criminal Court. Explaining the need to respect the right to counsel as one of the human rights, presumption of innocence and equality of arms is issue of the first part of this research. Given the importance of this right in order to protect the defendant's personal interestsand the interests of the international community (in international trials), and essential scientific and technical competence for lawyers, therefore the terms and conditions for obtaining the representation in international courts are expected that these terms and conditions are the issue of the second part of this article. The right to counsel during the pre-trial, trail and post-trail of international criminal courts proceedings is the subject of the third part of this research. In the fourth section of this article, various instances of the right to counsel are discussed.