INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
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Press Release
Unofficial
2017/14 No.
Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France)
Fixing of the time-limit for the filing by Equatorial Guinea of a
written statement of its observations and submissions on the
preliminary objections raised by France
THE HAGUE, 10April 2017. By an Order of 5April2017, the International Court of
Justice(ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has fixed 31July 2017 as the
time-limit within which the Republic of Equatori al Guinea may present a written statement of its
observations and submissions on the preliminary obj ections raised by the French Republic in the
case concerning Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France).
The subsequent procedure has been reserved for further decision.
In its Order, the Court recalls that, on 3March 2017, France raised certain preliminary
objections to the jurisdiction of the Court. In acco rdance with Article 79, paragraph 5, of the Rules
of Court, the proceedings on the merits have therefore been suspended.
It is explained in the Order that the date of 31July 2017 has been fixed taking account in
particular of Practice Direction V, according to which the time-limit for the presentation of such a
written statement shall generally not exceed four m onths from the date of the filing of preliminary
objections.
History of the proceedings
The history of the proceedings can be found in paragraphs263-270 of the Court’s Annual
Report for 2015-2016 and in Press Releases Nos. 2016/28 of 30 September 2016, 2016/33 of
19 October 2016 and 2016/38 of 7 December 2016, which are all available on the Court’s website
(under the headings “The Court”/“Annual Reports” and “Press Room”/“Press Releases”).
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The full text of the Order will be available shortly on the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org).
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Note: The Court’s press releases do not constitute official documents.
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is th e principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
It was established by the United Nations Char ter in June1945 and began its activities in
April1946. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Of the six
principal organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York. The Court has a
twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with in ternational law, legal disputes submitted to it by
States (its judgments have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned); and,
second, to give advisory opinions on legal questi ons referred to it by duly authorized United
Nations organs and agencies of the system. The Court is composed of 15judges elected for a
nine-year term by the General Assembly a nd the Security Council of the United Nations.
Independent of the United Nations Secretariat, it is assisted by a Registry, its own international
secretariat, whose activities are both judicial and di plomatic, as well as administrative. The official
languages of the Court are French and English. Also known as the “World Court”, it is the only
court of a universal character with general jurisdiction.
The ICJ, a court open only to States for cont entious proceedings, and to certain organs and
institutions of the United Nations system for advisory proceedings, should not be confused with the
other mostly criminal judicial institutions based in The Hague and adjacent areas, such as the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yu goslavia (ICTY, an adhoc court created by the
Security Council), the International Criminal Court (ICC, the first permanent international criminal
court, established by treaty, which does not bel ong to the United Nations system), the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL, an international judici al body with an independent legal personality,
established by the United Nations Security Counc il upon the request of the Lebanese Government
and composed of Lebanese and in ternational judges), or the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA,
an independent institution which assists in the est ablishment of arbitral tribunals and facilitates
their work, in accordance with the Hague Convention of 1899).
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Information Department:
Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Mr. Boris Heim and Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officers (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Mr. Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)
Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France) - Fixing of the time-limit for the filing by Equatorial Guinea of a written statement of its observations and submissions on the preliminary objections raised by France