Questions relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal) - The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 12 March to Wednesday 21 March 2012 - Live web streaming

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

2012/10 No.

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

The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 12 March

to Wednesday 21 March 2012

Live web streaming

THE HAGUE, 16February2012. The Interna tional Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal
judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold pub lic hearings in the case concerning Questions
relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal) from Monday 12 March to
Wednesday 21 March 2012, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.

These hearings will be streamed live in full on the Court’s website (click on “Multimedia”).

Schedule for the hearings

First round of oral Argument

Monday 12 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Belgium

Tuesday 13 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Belgium

Thursday 15 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Senegal

Friday 16 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Senegal

Second round of oral Argument

Monday 19 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Belgium

Wednesday 21 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Senegal - 2 -

History of the proceedings

The history of the proceedings can be found in the Annual Report of the Court 2010-2011
(paragraphs 207-217), which can be downloaded from the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org ). Click
on “The Court”, and then on “Annual Reports”.

*

N OTE TO THE PRESS AND PUBLIC

1. The public hearings will be held in the Gr eat Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace. Mobile
telephones are permitted in the courtroom provided they are switched off.

2. Media representatives are subject to an online accreditation procedure , details of

which can be found in the Media Advisory attached to this Press Release. The accreditation
procedure will close at midnight on Thursday 8 March 2012.

3. Individual visitors (with the exception of members of the Diplomatic Corps) and groups

are subject to an online admission procedure. They are kindly requested to fill out the relevant
form on the Court’s website (click on “Attending a Hearing”). The admission procedure will
close at midnight on Thursday 8 March 2012.

4. The hearings will be streamed live in full on the Court’s website (click on “Multimedia”).

5. Verbatim records of the hearings will be published daily on the Court’s website, with
translations to follow as soon as practicable thereafter.

6. On the final day of the hearings, a Press Release will be issued, presenting the submissions
of the Parties.

7. The Court’s press releases do not constitute official documents.

___________

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the 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 and the Security Council of the United Nations. It is

assisted by a Registry, its international secretariat, whose activities are both judicial and diplomatic,
as well as administrative. The official languages of the Court are French and English.

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 Yugoslavia (ICTY, an adhoc court created by the

Security Council), the International Criminal Court (ICC, the first permanent international criminal - 3 -

court established by treaty, which does not belong to the United Nations system), the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL, an independent judicial body composed of Lebanese and international

judges, which is not a United Nations tribunal an d does not form part of the Lebanese judicial
system), or the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA, an institution founded in 1899, which is
independent of the United Nations).

___________

Information Department:

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

Ms Joanne Moore, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396) Annex to Press Communiqué 2012/10

Media advisory

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

Accreditation procedure for the public hearings to be held from
Monday 12 March to Wednesday 21 March 2012

Media representatives are required to fill out the online accreditation form on the Court’s

website (www.icj-cij.org). Applications for accreditation must reach the Court by midnight
on Thursday 8March2012 . Only online application forms w ill be accepted. Each application
will be checked by the Information Department, a nd replies will be sent by e-mail. Applications
received after the deadline will not be considered.

Entry to the Peace Palace

Media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and press card. They are

asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates between 8.30 and 9.30a.m. Only duly accredited
individuals with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds.

No parking is allowed in the Peace Palace grounds apart from satellite vehicles. Media

wishing to park satellite vehicles are requested to fill in the appropriate fields in the online
accreditation form.

Great Hall of Justice

Tables reserved for media representatives are located on the far left of the Great Hall of
Justice. However, photographers and camera crews are only permitte d to enter the room for a few
minutes at the start of the sitting. Photographers and camera crews must keep to the right side of

the Great Hall.

Press room

Proceedings will be transmitted live to the Press Room on a large screen, in English and

French. The room is equipped with Wi-Fi inte rnet access. Live video and audio feeds are
available via the breakout box (PAL video out put). The Press room will be open between
8.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the day of the sitting. Please note that all media representatives must
leave the Peace Palace grounds by 5 p.m.

Live web streaming

The hearings will be streamed live and in full on the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org ), via

the “Multimedia” link, from 10 a.m. local time (CET).

Those later wishing to access the recorded webcast of the hearings are invited to click on the
temporary “Video on Demand” (VOD) link featured on the Court’s website. This link will be

deactivated three months after the close of the hearings.

___________

Information Department:

Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Mr. Boris Heim, Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Ms Joanne Moore, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)

Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)