The advent of forensic sciences at international criminal tribunals provokes scientific challenges, while confronting the judges and trial attorneys at the same time with the limitations of forensic sciences in international trials. This article discerns some of these challenges and limitations, which are pertinent to defence counsel, with a focus on the practice and jurisprudence of the International Criminal Court. It demonstrates that forensic evidence can have an impact on the probative value of the evidence, also at the level of international criminal tribunals. Adequate knowledge of the basics of forensic sciences and the principles which underpin this discipline can enable defence counsel to elicit potential exculpatory information at trial. For instance, certain new forensic techniques such as probabilistic genotyping can be quite persuasive to determine guilt or innocence. This article formulates practical recommendations for defence counsel operating at the International Criminal Court in approaching forensic evidence.

中文翻译：

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从辩护的角度看国际刑事法庭法庭科学和证据的扩散

国际刑事法庭法医学的出现引发了科学挑战，同时也让法官和出庭律师面临国际审判中法医学的局限性。本文重点介绍了与辩护律师相关的一些挑战和局限性，重点关注国际刑事法院的实践和判例。它表明法医证据可以对证据的证明价值产生影响，在国际刑事法庭层面也是如此。充分了解法医科学的基础知识和支持该学科的原则，可以使辩护律师在审判中引出潜在的无罪信息。例如，某些新的法医技术，例如概率基因分型，对于确定有罪或无罪非常有说服力。本文为在国际刑事法院工作的辩护律师处理法医证据提出了实用建议。