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
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2024/70
4 November 2024
Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan) Preliminary objections raised by Azerbaijan The Court to deliver its Judgment on Tuesday 12 November 2024 at 3 p.m.
THE HAGUE, 4 November 2024. On Tuesday 12 November 2024, the International Court of Justice will deliver its Judgment on the preliminary objections raised by Azerbaijan in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan). A public sitting will take place at 3 p.m. at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Nawaf Salam, the President of the Court, will read out the Court’s Judgment.
It is recalled that, on 16 September 2021, Armenia instituted proceedings against Azerbaijan concerning alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) (see press release No. 2021/20). On 21 April 2023, Azerbaijan raised preliminary objections to the jurisdiction of the Court and, in accordance with Article 79bis, paragraph 3, of the Rules of Court, the proceedings on the merits were suspended pending a decision of the Court on those objections (see press release No. 2023/22).
By an Order dated 25 April 2023, the President of the Court fixed 21 August 2023 as the time-limit within which Armenia might present a written statement of its observations and submissions on the preliminary objections. Armenia submitted its statement within that time-limit.
Public hearings were held from Monday 15 to Friday 19 April 2024 (see press release No. 2024/33). Pursuant to Article 53, paragraph 2, of the Rules of Court, after ascertaining the views of the Parties, the Court decided at the opening of the hearings that the texts of the preliminary objections of Azerbaijan and the written observations of Armenia, as redacted by the Parties for the protection of personal and sensitive information, would be made accessible to the public (on the case page on the website of the Court).
Earlier press releases relating to this case are available on the Court’s website.
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Members of the diplomatic corps, the public and the media will find below practical information regarding the organization of the sitting.
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A. Practical information and admission procedures
There will be no parking on the Peace Palace grounds.
1. Members of the diplomatic corps
Members of the diplomatic corps who wish to attend the sitting are kindly requested to fill out an online registration form by 12 noon (The Hague time) on Friday 8 November 2024. Seats in the Great Hall of Justice will be allocated on the basis of availability. On presenting a confirmation of registration from the Information Department and valid diplomatic ID at the main gate of the Peace Palace on the day of the sitting, diplomats will be given a badge providing access to the Great Hall of Justice.
2. Members of the public
Only 15 seats will be available in the public gallery for 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. Members of the public wishing to attend are requested to present themselves at the main gate of the Peace Palace 40 minutes before the start of the sitting at the latest. They will be given a badge providing access to the public gallery upon presentation of valid ID. The security officers at the gate will notify those concerned once all available seats have been filled.
3. Media representatives
Media representatives who wish to attend the sitting are requested to kindly fill out an online accreditation form by 12 noon (The Hague time) on Friday 8 November 2024. Requests submitted after this deadline will not be considered. The Court’s press room can accommodate only a limited number of people. Accreditation requests will be considered on a first-come first-served basis. No requests received by phone or email will be accepted.
B. Further practical information for the media
1. Entry to the Peace Palace
Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds. Accredited media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and press card. They are asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates no later than 30 minutes before the start of the sitting. The press room will be open one and a half hours before the start of the sitting and will close one hour after it concludes.
2. Access to the courtroom
A limited number of professional photographers and camera operators will be permitted to enter the courtroom for a few minutes before the start of the sitting. They will be accompanied by
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members of the Information Department. Other media representatives will not have access to the courtroom.
3. Press Room
The sitting will be transmitted live in the two official languages of the Court, English and French, in a press room equipped with shared internet access (Wi-Fi and 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.
4. Multimedia
The sitting will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) in the two official languages of the Court, on the Court’s website, the section of the Journal of the United Nations dedicated to the ICJ and on UN Web TV. High-resolution video clips and still photos produced by the Registry during the sitting will be available free of charge and free of copyright for editorial, non-commercial use, on the Court’s website (to download, click on Multimedia) and X feed (@CIJ_ICJ).
Upon the conclusion of the sitting, the Judgment, a summary of the Judgment, and any opinions or declarations of Members of the Court appended thereto will be published on the Court’s website and on its LinkedIn and X accounts.
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Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and 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 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; 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:
Ms Monique Legerman, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department: +31 (0)70 302 2336
Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2337
Ms Anna Bonini, Associate Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2419
Email: [email protected]
Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan) - Preliminary objections raised by Azerbaijan - The Court to deliver its Judgment on Tuesday 12 November 2024 at 3 p.m.