ICC to hold Press Conference on 27 January 2016 prior to opening of the trial of Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé

Situation: Côte d'Ivoire
Case: The Prosecutor v. Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé

A Press Conference on the commencement of the trial in the case of The Prosecutor v. Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé will be held on Wednesday 27 January 2016 at 16:00 (The Hague local time) in the Press Briefing Room of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (Netherlands). The conference will also be webstreamed live on the Court's website. 

Statements will be delivered by the ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, the Defence Counsel for Mr Gbagbo, Emmanuel Altit, the Defence Counsel for Mr Blé Goudé, Geert-Jan Alexander Knoops, and Legal Representative of Victims Paolina Massidda, with an opportunity for questions and answers.

Background: 

The trial in the case of The Prosecutor v. Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé is scheduled to open on 28 January 2016.

Laurent Gbagbo, former President of Côte d'Ivoire, was surrendered to the ICC on 30 November 2011 and he first appeared before the Pre-Trial Chamber on 5 December 2011. On 12 June 2014, Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed, by majority, four charges of crimes against humanity (murder, rape, other inhumane acts or – in the alternative – attempted murder, and persecution) against Mr Gbagbo and committed him for trial before a Trial Chamber.

Charles Blé Goudé, born on 1 January 1972 in Niagbrahio, Côte d'Ivoire, was surrendered on 22 March 2014 to the ICC by the national authorities of Côte d´Ivoire following a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC on 21 December 2011. On 11 December 2014, Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed four charges of crimes against humanity (murder, rape, other inhumane acts or – in the alternative – attempted murder, and persecution) against Mr Blé Goudé and committed him to trial before a Trial Chamber.

For more information on this case, visit the ICC website at: here

Attending the Press Conference

Journalists wishing to attend the Press Conference are kindly requested to confirm their attendance by email to [email protected], and will receive a confirmation reply. 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 journalists who do not confirm their attendance in advance cannot be guaranteed access to the press conference. In order to avoid delays in accessing the building, those attending are advised to arrive at least half an hour before the conference.

Webstreaming of the Press Conference

The Press Conference will be webstreamed live on the ICC website at:

http://video.icc.globecomm.net/

The video and audio files of the Press Conference will subsequently be available for download on an FTP server in MPEG-3 and MPEG-4 formats (video and audio) as well as on the ICC YouTube channel for viewing.

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].

For information related to audio-visual matters, please contact Violeta Willemsen-Curcic, Head of the Audio-Visual Production Unit, at + 31 70 515 8422 or at [email protected]

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