Practical information for media on the closing statements in the Lubanga Dyilo case

ICC-CPI-20110819-MA107

Situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Case: The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo

On Thursday and Friday, 25 and 26 August 2011, closing statements in the case The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo are scheduled to take place before Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Courtroom I. Hearings are scheduled on both days from 14:30 to 19:00 (The Hague Local time). The parties and participants should be prepared to entertain questions from the Trial Chamber when their closing statements are delivered orally.

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is accused of having committed, as a co-perpetrator, war crimes of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15 years into the Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo (Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of the Congo) (FPLC), and using them to participate actively in hostilities in Ituri, a district of the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between September 2002 and August 2003.

For further information on this case, please click here.

Web streaming of the hearings

The hearings will be held in open session unless ordered otherwise. The proceedings can be followed with 30 minutes delay on the ICC website at:

Courtroom I:

• English: http://livestream.xs4all.nl/icc1.asx
• French: http://livestream.xs4all.nl/icc2.asx

Hearings’ summaries and AV programmes

• an audio (floor channel only) and video summary of the statements will be available on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 August; and
• a weekly radio and television programme “In the Courtroom” (in French), will be available on Monday 29 August on the ICC YouTube channel for viewing and for downloading in broadcast quality on ftp server.

Attending the hearings

Journalists attending the hearings are kindly asked to:

• confirm their attendance by sending an email to PublicAffairs.Unit@icc-cpi.int;
• arrive no later than 14:15 (The Hague local time);
• use the public entrance located at Regulusweg; and
• present a valid press identification card.

Media Centre

The Court’s Media Centre will open at 08:30 and will close at 21:00.

The area can seat up to 64 people and includes plasma TV screens; a Wi-Fi Internet service; cards (plug + play) for those without Wi-Fi capability in their PC or laptop; 6 computers with Internet access; and 7 telephones that may be used free of charge for internal calls. For external calls, journalists are advised to use their mobiles or purchase 0800 pre-paid phone cards beforehand. Such cards are available at newsagents and train stations.

Please note that phone cards cannot be obtained in the vicinity of, or at, the ICC. Mobile phones cannot be used in the public gallery.

Photography

Please note that it will not be possible to take photos in the courtroom before the start of the proceedings. However, the Court will provide to all those currently subscribing to receive ICC press releases a link to a selection of high resolution digital photos taken by the photographer (agency pool) during the hearings.

Recording facilities

The Court will provide feed from Courtroom I to the hot-desk area of the Media Centre. The tables in the Media Centre contain plugs for the video and audio feed from the courtroom (4:3, PAL): BNC video output and XLR audio output. You can record from three possible audio channels: 1 - floor, 2 - French and 3 - English. Each table contains an audio plug. If you need to record on two channels, please use another plug at another table for the second channel. The ICC does not have spare cables available for the crews.

Feed for the SNG trucks

SNG trucks can record the signal from Courtroom II from the distribution box placed in the media parking facilities (see below). Please note that there is no power supply available at the car park and that it is therefore necessary to have a generator.

Parking facilities

Media representatives can use the parking facilities located at the intersection of Regulusweg and Wegastraat.

For information related to audio-visual matters, please contact Violeta Willemsen-Curcic, Producer, at + 31 70 515 8422 or at violeta.willemsencurcic@icc-cpi.int

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public affairs Unit, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or by e-mail at: fadi.el-abdallah@icc-cpi.int.

You can also follow the Court’s activities on YouTube and Twitter.