Questions relating to the Seizure and Detention of Certain Documents and Data (Timor-Leste v. Australia) - 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. 2014/6
7 February2014

Questions relating to the Seizure and Detention of Certain Documents and Data

(Timor-Leste v. Australia)

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

THE HAGUE, 7 February 2014. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal
judicial organ of the United Nations, has fixe d time-limits for the filing of initial pleadings in the
case concerning Questions relating to the Seizure and D etention of Certain Documents and Data
(Timor-Leste v. Australia).

By an Order of 28 January2014, the Court fixed 28 April 2014 and 28 July 2014 as the

respective time-limits for the filing of a Memorial by the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and
a Counter-Memorial by Australia.

The subsequent procedure has been reserved for further decision.

History of the proceedings

On 17 December 2013, the Democratic Republic of Timor -Leste instituted proceedings
against Australia with regard to the seizure and the subsequent detention by “agents of Australia of
documents, data and other property which belongs to Timor -Leste and/or which Timor -Leste has
the right to protect under international law”.

Timor-Leste also filed on 17 December 2013 a Request for the indi cation of provisional
measures to “protect [its] rights . . . in the documents and data seized, and . . . to prevent their use
by Australia contrary to the rights and interests of Timor -Leste, and . . . to end the unlawful
impediment to the conduct by Timor-Leste of its affairs caused by the seizure and detention of the
documents and data, in particular (but not exclusively) in relation to the conduct of the pending
Arbitration under the Timor Sea Treaty between Timor-Leste and Australia”.

Further details can be found in Press Releases Nos. 2013/41, 2013/42 and 2014/1, available
on the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org) under the heading “Press Room”/“Press Releases”.

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

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The full text of the Order will be available shortly on the Court’s website.

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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 th e 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 dispute s 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
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court of a universal character with general jurisdiction.

The ICJ, a cour t 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 doe s 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)