Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France) - Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
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Website: www.icj-cij.org Twitter Account: @CIJ_ICJ

Press Release

Unofficial

No. 2016/23
14 July 2016

Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France)

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

THE HAGUE, 14 July 2016. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial
organ of the United Nations, has fixed time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings in the case
concerning Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France).

By an Order of 1 July 2016, the Court fixed 3 January 2017 and 3 July 2017 as the respective
time-limits for the filing of a Memorial by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and a
Counter-Memorial by the French Republic.

The Court made the Order taking account of the agreement of the Parties. The subsequent
procedure has been reserved for further decision.

History of the proceedings

The history of the proceedings can be found in Press Release No. 2016/18 of 14 June 2016,
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 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 - 2 -

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.
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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 international judicial body with an independent legal personality,
established by the United Nations Security Council upon the request of the Lebanese Government
and composed of Lebanese and international judges), 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, Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)

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