Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia) - The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 3 March to Tuesday 1 April 2014

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. 2014/7
14 February 2014

Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia)

The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 3 March
to Tuesday 1 April 2014

THE HAGUE, 14 February 2014. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal
judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Application
of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia)
from Monday 3 March to Tuesday 1 April 2014, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the
Court.

Schedule for the public hearings

First round

Monday 3 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Croatia

Tuesday 4 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Croatia

3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Examination of witnesses and witness-experts

Wednesday 5 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Croatia

3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Examination of witnesses and witness-experts

Thursday 6 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Croatia

Friday 7 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Croatia - 2 -

Monday 10 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Serbia

Tuesday 11 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Serbia

Wednesday 12 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Serbia

3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Serbia

Thursday 13 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Serbia

Friday 14 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Serbia

Tuesday 18 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Observations of Croatia on Serbia’s counter-claims

Second round

Thursday 20 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Croatia

Friday 21 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Croatia

3 p.m.-4.30 p.m.: Croatia

Thursday 27 March 3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Serbia

Friday 28 March 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Serbia

3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Serbia

Tuesday 1 April 10. a.m.-11.30 a.m.: Response of Croatia to Serbia’s counter-claims

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History of the proceedings

The history of the proceedings is set out in paragraphs 103 to 113 of the Court’s 2012-2013

Annual Report, available on its website under the heading “The Court”.

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A. Admission procedures

Owing to the limited number of seats available in the Great Hall of Justice, priority access

will be given to representatives of the States that are parties to the case, and members of the
diplomatic corps. - 3 -

1. Members of the diplomatic corps

The Information Department requests members of the diplomatic corps who plan to attend
the hearings to notify it accordingly before midnight on Wednesday 26 February 2014
(The Hague Time), by e-mail to [email protected].

2. Members of the public

A number of seats will be allocated to members of the public on a first-come,
first-served basis. There will be no advance registration procedure, and admission requests

submitted beforehand will not be considered.

3. Media representatives

Media representatives are subject to a compulsory online accreditation procedure, which will
close at midnight on Wednesday 26 February 2014. Requests submitted after this deadline will
not be considered. For full details (timetable, technical facilities, etc.), see the section below
entitled “Further practical information for the media”.

B. Further practical information for the media

1. Verbatim records of the hearings

Verbatim records of the pleadings will be published daily on the Court’s website. On the
final day of the hearings, a press release will be issued presenting the submissions of the Parties. It
is recalled that the Court’s press releases do not constitute official documents.

2. Entry to the Peace Palace

The opening hours of the Press Room will be announced by e-mail on Thursday
27 February 2014. Accredited media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and
press card. Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will be permitted to
enter the Peace Palace grounds.

3. Parking at the Peace Palace, satellite vehicles

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. Televised media wishing to broadcast the sitting live should read
paragraph B.1 above carefully and contact the Information Department as soon as possible to make
the necessary arrangements. Satellite vehicle technicians/drivers will be informed in due course of
the access times for the Peace Palace grounds.

4. Access to the courtroom

Photographers and camera crews will only be permitted to enter the room for a few minutes
at the start of the first day of each round of pleadings. They will be accompanied by Registry staff
members and must keep to the right-hand side of the room. Journalists will be able to follow the
hearings from the Press Room.

5. Press Room

The hearings will be transmitted live on a large screen, in English and French, in a press
room equipped with a shared Internet access (Wi-Fi, Ethernet). TV crews can connect to the
Court’s PAL (HD and SD) and NTSC (SD) audio-visual system (see also paragraph B.1 above),
and radio reporters to the audio system. - 4 -

6. Other media services

For further practical information (on requests for interviews, TV stand-up positions, audio
and video outputs available, etc.), please visit the Court’s website. Click on “Press Room”, and
then on “Media Services”.

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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in
April 1946. 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 international 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 questions referred to it by duly authorized United
Nations organs and agencies of the system. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a

nine-year term by the General Assembly and 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 diplomatic, 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 contentious 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 ad hoc court created by the
Security Council), the International Criminal Court (ICC, the first permanent international criminal
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 and does not form part of the Lebanese judicial

system), or the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA, an independent institution which assists in
the establishment 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, 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)