Victim’s Rights in Preliminary Investigations in the Context of the Iranian Criminal Procedure Code

Abstract

For many years, all the attention was focus on the rights of the accused in the criminal procedure. It was justified by the defendant being defenseless before the prosecutor's office. In the meantime, the role of the victim in the advancement of the preliminary investigation process was underestimated and he was passive. With victim-oriented approach, some of the criminal justice systems targeted his role. In the Criminal Procedure Code of Iran, victim's rights have undergone major changes in the Code of Criminal Procedure, approved in 2013, in accordance with human rights standards. At the head of these developments are the right to security and the right to maintain identity. Our studies have shown that the approach of the Criminal Procedure Code of Iran, in comparison with the former laws, has taken into account a participatory and active role for the victim in the context of preparatory research. The prediction of the innovative rights in the law provides for the further participation of the victim in order to declare, disclose, prosecute and investigate the crime; including the explicit and transparent support of victim's security against potential threats and the need to maintain his identity.

Keywords

• victims' rights
• criminal procedure law
• preliminary investigations
• human rights documents