Questions relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal) - Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 302 2323 Fax: +31 (0)70 364 9928
Website: www.icj-cij.org

Press Release
Unofficial

No. 2009/26
17 July 2009

Questions relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite
(Belgium v. Senegal)

Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings

THE HAGUE, 17 July 2009. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial
organ of the United Nations, has fixed time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings in the case
concerning Questions relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal).

By an Order of 9 July 2009, the Court fixed 9 July 2010 as the time-limit for the filing of a

Memorial by the Kingdom of Belgium and 11July2011 as the time-limit for the filing of a
Counter-Memorial by the Republic of Senegal.

The subsequent procedure has been reserved for further decision.

History of the proceedings

On 19 February 2009 Belgium instituted proceed ings against Senegal, on the grounds that a
dispute exists “between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of Senegal regarding Senegal’s
compliance with its obligation to prosecute” the former President of Chad, HissèneHabré, “or to
extradite him to Belgium for the purposes of criminal proceedings”. Belgium also submitted a

request for the indication of provisional measures, in order to protect its rights pending the Court’s
Judgment on the merits (see Press Release No. 2009/13).

In an Order of 28May 2009, the Court found that “the circumstances, as they [then]
present[ed] themselves to [it], [were] not such as to require the exercise of its power under
Article41 of the Statute to indicate provisional measures”. The Court also emphasized that this

decision in no way prejudged the question of its ju risdiction to deal with the merits of the case or
any questions relating to the admissibility of the Application, or relating to the merits themselves.

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The full text of the Order made on 9July 2009 is available on the Court’s website
(www.icj-cij.org).

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Information Department:

Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Messrs. Boris Heim and Maxime Schouppe, Information Officers (+31 (0)70 302 2337)

Ms Joanne Moore, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Barbara Dalsbaek, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)