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 Twitter Account: @CIJ_ICJ YouTube Channel: CIJ ICJ
LinkedIn page: International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2020/2
16 January 2020
Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France) The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 17 to Friday 21 February 2020
THE HAGUE, 16 January 2020. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France), from Monday 17 to Friday 21 February 2020, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.
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Schedule for the hearings
First round of oral argument
Monday 17 February 2020
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Equatorial Guinea
Tuesday 18 February 2020
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: France
Second round of oral argument
Wednesday 19 February 2020
4.30 p.m.-6 p.m.: Equatorial Guinea
Friday 21 February 2020
10 a.m.-1.30 p.m.: France
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History of the proceedings
For a complete history of the proceedings, see paragraphs 152-165 of the Annual Report of the Court for 2018-2019 and press releases Nos. 2019/6 and 2019/17, which are available on the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org).
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Multimedia
The hearings will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) in English and French on the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org/en/multimedia-index) as well as on UN Web TV, the United Nations online television channel. Still photographs of the hearings will be posted on the ICJ website and the Court’s Twitter feed (@CIJ_ICJ) along with selected high-resolution video footage (b-roll).
All ICJ photographs and videos are available free of charge, for non-commercial editorial use.
For information regarding the accreditation/admission procedures for the 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 Parties to the case, and to 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 Monday 3 February 2020 (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 Monday 3 February 2020 (The Hague time). Requests submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
B. Further practical information for the media
1. Entry to the Peace Palace
The Press Room will be open one and a half hours prior to the start of hearings and will close one hour after they conclude. Accredited media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and press card. They are asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates one hour prior to the start of each hearing, at the latest. Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds.
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2. Parking at the Peace Palace, satellite vehicles
No parking is allowed on 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 hearings live should 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.
3. Access to the courtroom
Photographers and camera crews will only be permitted to enter the courtroom a few minutes before the opening of the first round of oral argument of each Party. They will be accompanied by a member of the Information Department.
4. 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) audiovisual system and radio reporters to the audio system.
5. Videos, still photographs
Video files (SD/MPEG2 and HD/MPEG4) and still photos produced by the Registry during the hearings will be available free of charge, for non-commercial use, at the close of the hearings (to download, click on www.icj-cij.org/en/multimedia-index).
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 Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). 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.
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Information Department:
Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Mr. Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)
Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France) - The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 17 to Friday 21 February 2020