Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia) - The Court to deliver its Judgment on Tuesday 3 February 2015 at 10 a.m.

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. 2015/2
22 January 2015

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

The Court to deliver its Judgment on Tuesday 3 February 2015 at 10 a.m.

THE HAGUE, 22 January 2015. On Tuesday 3 February 2015, the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Judgment in the
case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia).

A public sitting will take place at 10 a.m. (The Hague time) in the Great Hall of Justice at the
Peace Palace, The Hague, seat of the Court, during which the President of the Court,

Judge Peter Tomka, will read the Court’s Judgment.

It is recalled that Judgments of the Court have binding force and are without appeal for the
parties concerned.

History of the proceedings

The history of the proceedings can be found in the Annual Report of the Court 2013-2014
(paragraphs 80 to 91), which can be viewed online under the headings: “The Court”-“Annual
Reports”.

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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 reading of the Judgment to notify it accordingly before midnight on Friday 30 January 2015,
by e-mail to [email protected]. - 2 -

2. Media representatives

Media representatives are subject to an online accreditation procedure, which will close at
midnight on Thursday 29 January 2015. Applications submitted after that date will not be
considered. The same applies to submissions by other means, such as fax, e-mail or telephone. For
full details (timetable, technical facilities, etc.), see the section below entitled “Further practical
information for the media”.

3. Members of the public

A limited 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. The public are encouraged to follow the reading of
the Judgment live on the internet (see below).

Video streaming

It will be possible to watch the reading, either live or 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), either under “Live Now”, or in VOD under “Meetings &
Events/ICJ”.

Further practical information for the media

1. Entry to the Peace Palace

The Press Room will be open from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 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 a.m. and 9 a.m. Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will be
permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds.

2. 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 contact the
Information Department as soon as possible, and in any case not later than Friday
30 January 2015. Duly accredited satellite vehicles must park between 8 a.m. and 8.30 a.m., on
the morning of the sitting.

3. Access to the courtroom

Photographers and camera crews will only be allowed into the Great Hall of Justice between
9.30 a.m. and 10.05 a.m. 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 reading of the Judgment from
the Press Room.

4. Press Room

The reading of the Judgment 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, and radio reporters to the
audio system. - 3 -

5. Videos, still photographs

Video files (SD/MPEG2 and HD/MPEG4) and still photos produced by the Registry during
the sitting on 3 February 2015 will be available free of charge, for non-commercial use, at the close
of the proceedings (to download, click on www.icj-cij.org/multimedia).

The final submissions presented by the Parties on 21 March, 28 March and 1 April 2014 are
already available as video files, in the original English-language version. These files (which come
in three formats: Flash, SD/MPEG2 and HD/MPEG4) can be downloaded by clicking on
www.icj-cij.org/multimedia. Still photos from the hearing of 3 March 2014 can also be

downloaded from the same site.

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.

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)