The Netherlands must allow three witnesses appearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague to apply for refugee status, a court in Amsterdam ruled on Wednesday.

The immigration service (IND) had refused the three, all men from the Democratic Republic of Congo, to apply for asylum. A fourth case is still pending.
Lawyers for the three say they have given such damning testimony about human rights violations by president Joseph Kabila that they fear for their lives if forced to return. Kabila claimed victory in elections earlier this month despite widespread claims of vote rigging.
ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has warned Kabila that the court ‘can investigate and prosecute you if you are responsible for committing ICC crimes’.
The four men appeared as witnesses in cases against Congolese militia leaders Thomas Lubanga and Germain Katanga, news agency ANP said.