Situation on the Registered Vessels of Comoros, Greece and Cambodia: ICC Appeals Chamber to deliver its Judgment on Prosecutor’s appeal on 2 September 2019 – Practical information
On 2 September 2019 at 10:30 (The Hague local time), the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or "the Court"), Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa presiding, will deliver its judgment on the appeal of the Prosecutor against the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I on the "Application for Judicial Review by the Government of the Union of the Comoros"' of 15 November 2018. The judgement will be delivered by the Appeals Chamber in open court.
Background: On 14 May 2013, a referral was received by the Office of the Prosecutor from the authorities of the Union of the Comoros, a State Party to the Rome Statute, in relation to an attack on 31 May 2010 by the Israeli Defence Forces on the Humanitarian Aid Flotilla bound for the Gaza strip. On 6 November 2014, the Office of the Prosecutor had announced that it was closing its preliminary examination of the situation referred by the Union of the Comoros because, in the Prosecutor's view, the potential case(s) likely arising from an investigation into this incident would not be of "sufficient gravity" to justify further action by the ICC.
On 16 July 2015, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC, by majority, granted the request of the Union of Comoros to review the decision of the ICC Prosecutor not to investigate the attack and requested the Prosecutor to reconsider her decision. The Prosecutor filed her decision on 29 November 2017 reaffirming her previous decision of 6 November 2014 to close this preliminary examination. On 15 November 2018, Pre-Trial Chamber I decided to grant the Union of Comoros's further application for judicial review. The Chamber ordered the Prosecutor to reconsider its 6 November 2014 Decision in light of the specific directions of the 16 July 2015 Decision. The Prosecutor appealed this decision.
Webstreaming of the hearing:
The hearing can be followed live on the
ICC website.
Attending the hearing:
Members of the diplomatic corps, NGOs and other members of the public can request attendance via email to: [email protected]. Attendees must present a valid passport or valid ID with a photo at the main entrance of the Court (at: Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, 2597 AK The Hague).
Journalists wishing to cover the hearing can request accreditation via email to: [email protected]. All journalists must present a valid press card, and a valid passport or valid ID with a photo, at the main entrance of the Court (at: Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, 2597 AK The Hague).
Please note that individuals who do not confirm their attendance in advance cannot be guaranteed access to the hearings. In order to avoid delays in accessing the building, those attending are advised to arrive one hour before the hearings start.
ICC Media Centre:
For media representatives wishing to use the Court's media facilities, the Media Centre will open at 08:30. The ICC Media Centre is located in the building's 'Court Tower'. It is composed of hot desk areas, which can sit up to 104 people, and two interview rooms. The Media Centre distributes the video and embedded audio of the hearing, via HD-SDI with a female BNC connection. Journalists wishing to connect to this should bring compatible equipment and a BNC cable. Power is provided (European plug). Wi-Fi connection is available in the Media Centre.
AV materials:
Filming or photography is strictly prohibited inside the Court building, apart from the interview rooms and the Media Centre area.
Images of the hearing will be available for download on an FTP server in video (MPEG-4) and audio (MPEG-3) format, and for viewing on the official ICC YouTube Channel. For information on audio-visual matters, please contact [email protected]
Parking facilities:
Media representatives can use the ICC's Visitor Parking.
SNG vehicles:
The ICC Parking includes an area for SNG vehicles. BNC connections are available and the video format is HD-SDI with embedded Audio (8 dual mono pairs): Channel 1 – Floor language (international audio); Channel 2 - English interpretation; Channel 3 - French interpretation; Channel 4 - 8 - Other languages, or if no interpretation then Floor language will be sent.
For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected]
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