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. 2013/43
23 December 2013
Proceedings instituted by Timor-Leste against Australia
Request for the indication of provisional measures
The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 January 2014
THE HAGUE, 23 December 2013. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal
judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings concerning the proceedings
instituted by Timor-Leste against Australia, from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 January 2014, at
the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.
The hearings will be devoted to the Request for the indication of provisional measures
submitted by Timor-Leste (see Press Release No. 2013/41 of 19 December 2013).
Schedule for the hearings
First round of oral observations
Monday 20 January 10 a.m. – 12 noon: Timor-Leste
Tuesday 21 January 10 a.m. – 12 noon: Australia
Second round of oral observations
Wednesday 22 January 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Timor-Leste
5 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Australia
For information regarding the accreditation/admission procedures for these hearings as well
as the video streaming options (low and high resolution) and practical information for the media,
please see below.
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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.
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 Thursday 16 January 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 an online accreditation procedure, which will close at
midnight on Thursday 16 January 2014. For full details (timetable, technical facilities, etc.), see
the section below entitled “Further practical information for the media”.
B. Video streaming
1. Live HD video streaming for the use of the televised media (H264, 1080p)
Live video images of the hearings will be made available, remotely, to the televised media
by means of a high-definition streaming service, set up in co-operation with the Television Section
(UNTV) of the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI). These images
(16/9 ratio) will be available in H264 high-definition format (1080p, full HD), with the audio track
available in both English and French, the official languages of the Court. Media wishing to obtain
these images are requested to send an e-mail to [email protected] no later than
12 noon on Thursday 16 January 2014. A technician will provide assistance in establishing and
testing the necessary connection.
2. Live and on-demand video streaming for the general public (web streaming)
It will be possible to watch the hearings live and, later, on demand (VOD) on two channels:
(1) the Court’s website (Multimedia Gallery); and (2) the United Nations online television channel
(webtv.un.org), under the heading “Live Now” and, later, on demand under the heading
“Meetings & Events/ICJ”.
C. Further practical information for the media
1. Verbatim records of the hearings
Verbatim records of the hearings will be published daily on the Court’s website, with
translations to follow as soon as practicable thereafter. 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. - 3 -
2. 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 9.30 a.m. for the hearings starting at
10 a.m., and between 3.30 and 4.30 p.m. for the hearing starting at 5 p.m. Only duly accredited
individuals with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds. The press
room will be open between 8.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for the morning hearings and between 3.30 p.m.
and 7 p.m. for the afternoon hearing.
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.
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 each sitting. 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 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.
6. Other media services
For further 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. - 4 -
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)
Proceedings instituted by Timor-Leste against Australia - Request for the indication of provisional measures - The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 January 2014