Applying to visit a detainee

1. In order for your application to be considered, please ensure that:
   • You have read and understood the content of this document and submitted the Online Application to become an approved visitor. [Please note that the form must ONLY be completed by the person wishing to become an approved visitor].
   • Separate applications are submitted for each applicant and/or each Detainee.
   • The Detainee has also submitted a request for the approval of you as a visitor following the standard UNDU procedure known to each Detainee (IRMCT staff are not in a position to contact the Detainee on your behalf and you need to coordinate your application with the request of the Detainee).
2. You will be advised of the approval or denial of your application within five (5) working days of receipt of your application and the Detainee’s request. If the application/request is denied, both you and the Detainee will be advised of the reasons.
3. Once you become an approved visitor to a Detainee you can plan visits in consultation with the Detainee. The Detainee will then request specific dates and times for each visit (the Detainee must submit each request a minimum of five days before your visit). It is the Detainee’s responsibility to advise you of the details of approved visits.
4. Please note that upon arrival at the UNDU for your first visit, you will be required to sign an Undertaking for Visitors to the UN Detention Unit before the visit may begin. For your convenience, a copy of the Undertaking is also available on this page.
5. Once you are on the list of approved visitors to a specific Detainee, there is no requirement to reapply for subsequent visits. However, failure to adhere to the Rules and Regulations of the UNDU may result in the withdrawal of your approved visitor status. For your convenience, the relevant Rules and Regulations are also available on this page.

1. Acknowledging that visits to the Detainee are subject to the provisions of the Rules Governing the Detention of Persons Awaiting Trial or Appeal Before the Mechanism or Otherwise Detained on the Authority of the Mechanism;
2. I undertake not to disseminate, including at public gatherings, on websites, social media or other media, any information acquired in the course of my visit including, but not limited to:
   1. The layout, configuration and physical description of the UNDU, including the locations of Detainees within the UNDU;
   2. The health of the Detainee I am visiting, including his mental health and physical appearance, or any topics we may discuss;
   3. Any other information relating to the UNDU or any Detainee that I may acquire in the course of my visit to the UNDU;
   4. The introduction to or export from the Detainee of any information or materials, including, but not limited to, written or oral messages and instructions to or from third parties.
3. I give my personal assurance that I will do nothing to jeopardize the safety, health and well-being of any Detainee or of any UNDU staff; and
4. I acknowledge that any breach of the above conditions, or any other breach of the Rules and Regulations governing the UNDU, may result in the restriction of Detainee’s visitation rights, and may lead to visiting sanctions against me.

Rule 70

1. Detainees shall have the right to receive visits from and to communicate with family, friends and others, subject to Rule 71.
2. Detainees shall have the right to receive visits from and communicate with the diplomatic and consular representatives of the state(s) of which they are a national, subject to Rule 72.
3. Detainees shall have the right to receive visits from and communicate with their Legal Representatives, subject to Rule 73.
4. Following consultation with the President and the Commanding Officer, the Registrar shall adopt Regulations to govern the supervision of visits and communications.

Rule 71

1. Detainees shall have the right to receive visits from and to communicate with family, friends and others by letter, telephone, or other means on a regular basis.
2. Detainees shall request approval for visits under paragraph 1 of this Rule. The Commanding Officer, in consultation with the Registrar, may refuse permission for visits, or may impose restrictions or conditions including monitoring on visits or communications, if he or she considers that this is necessary for the administration of justice, the security and good order of the Detention Unit or the health or safety of any person.

Rule 74

1. A Detainee who wishes to receive a visit or use the communication facilities shall inform the Commanding Officer and request prior approval if it is likely that the visit or communication will result in the public dissemination of information in any form.
2. In his or her decision the Commanding Officer, in consultation with the Registrar, shall consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that the dissemination of information could:
   1. Interfere with the administration of justice, including by breaching an order of the Mechanism or the Tribunal, or interfering with or intimidating witnesses;
   2. Endanger the security or good order of the Detention Unit; or
   3. Endanger the safety of any person.

Rule 77

1. All visitors must comply with the security requirements of the visiting regime of the Detention Unit and, where applicable, of the Host Prison. These requirements may include personal searches of clothing and X-ray examination of possessions on entry to either or both the Detention Unit and the Host Prison.
2. Any person, including a Legal Representative of a Detainee or a diplomatic or consular representative, who refuses to comply with security requirements, whether of the Detention Unit or of the Host Prison, will be refused access. A visitor may withdraw his or her consent to a search at any time in which case access will be refused.

Regulation 15 – Requests to become approved visitors

1. Except as otherwise provided in Regulation 17, all persons who wish to visit a Detainee must apply to the Commanding Officer, in a working language of the Mechanism or the language of the Detainee, to become an approved visitor. In addition, Detainees must apply to the Commanding Officer to support the applicant’s request to become an approved visitor. The applications must explain the relationship between the applicant and the Detainee, and the intended purpose of any authorized visits.
2. The Commanding Officer, in consultation with the Registrar, shall grant or deny the request in line with these Regulations and the Rules of Detention within five (5) working days of receipt of complete applications by the applicant and Detainee.
3. If the Commanding Officer grants the request, the applicant will be listed as an approved visitor to the Detainee. Both the applicant and the Detainee will be advised accordingly.
4. If the Commanding Officer denies the request, the applicant and Detainee will be informed of the denial, including the reasons thereof.
5. The status as an approved visitor to a Detainee may be withdrawn in accordance with Regulation 3.

Regulation 16 – Requesting visits

1. Once a visitor has been approved pursuant to Regulation 15(C), and other than in exceptional circumstances, visits to a Detainee may be requested solely by the Detainee to the Commanding Officer in writing, not later than five (5) working days prior to the date for which the visit is requested.
2. The Commanding Officer shall grant or deny the visit request submitted by the Detainee in line with these Regulations and the Rules of Detention within three (3) working days of receipt of the written request by the Detainee.
3. If approved, the Commanding Officer will inform the Detainee in writing. The Detainee shall be responsible for advising his or her visitor(s) of the appointment.
4. If the Commanding Officer denies the request, he or she will inform the Detainee and the visitor(s) of the denial. The Detainee and visitor(s) shall also be informed of the reasons for denial.