To testify in a Swedish court

To testify in a Swedish court

Some of you might have been a witness in court. Some of you might have some friends who have been beaten up or have been witnesses to a crime. And some others are perhaps interested in how a trial works. This article will tell you why you should testify and how important this is for you and your society.

You testify to do your Society a favour. It is not to protect anyone or to frame anyone, it is to help the court to make the right judgement. Almost 100 000 people testify every year. The court just wants you to come there and tell what you know and what you have seen.

How it works in Sweden

When you come to court, you must wait outside until you are called for and it is
your turn to witness. This is because the court wants you to tell your story,
and not be influenced by the other’s story. Before you give your witness you have to swear the following oath:

" I (your name) promise and assure
on my faith and honour, that I shall
say the whole truth and not conceal,
add or alter anything"

The oath is read by the chairman and you say after him. Then the parties and the court can ask you some questions. If you do not tell the truth you can be punished for perjury. The main thing is that you tell the whole truth and that you do not keep anything you know for your self.

You have to come

To testify in court is a social duty. It is very important that you come in the right time and to the right place. It is not just for the court to make the right decision, it is also because the hearings cost the society a lot of money. If you do not come, the trial will be cancelled. You can be liable to pay a fine or the police can come and take you to the court. If you do not come, you can be forced to pay for everyone who has come and in some way you have to pay for the trial.

Scared to testify

As a witness you can feel a bit scared and nervous because of the visit to court. This is not unusual, it will pass by during the inquest. If you are afraid of someone in the courtroom or if you think it is hard to testify when a special person is there, you should tell the court in good time so they can arrange for that person not to be present.

Testify by telephone

The court can in some cases decide that the witness can be heard by telephone. If you are to testify in court by telephone you normally get a written letter that says that you can testify at an authority for example at a police station. If you testify at a police station you must be prepared to prove your identity by a driving licence or a passport. After that you will be directed to a telephone, and then you will get a call from the court when it is your time to be heard.

Everybody who is in the court can listen to the hearing with you and they have the possibility to speak to you and ask questions.

We have tried to find out about testifying in Britain and Italy, but we did not have any success.
Please tell us!

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Writers: Jimmy Hörnfeldt (nv02-15@park.se), Sandra StrömQuist (sp02-26@park.se) and Kicki Berglund (sp02-07@park.se).
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