Katanga case: Sentence to be delivered on 23 May 2014
Today, 6 May 2014, Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it will deliver the sentence in the case The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga on 23 May 2013 at 09:30 (The Hague local time) during a public hearing at the seat of the Court in The Hague (Netherlands). This date was announced at a hearing held on 5-6 May 2014 during which the parties and participants to the trial presented their submissions relevant to the sentence to be imposed on Germain Katanga before the ICC judges.
According to the Court's legal texts, the judges may impose a sentence of imprisonment to which they could add a fine or forfeiture of proceeds, property and assets derived directly or indirectly from the crimes. A sentence cannot exceed a maximum of 30 years, except when justified by the extreme gravity of the crime and the individual circumstances of the convicted person, in which case, a sentence of life imprisonment may be imposed. The number of years a person has previously spent in detention by the Court will be deducted from the sentence imposed by the judges.
Background: Germain Katanga was transferred to The Hague on 17 October 2007 and his trial started on 24 November 2009. On 7 March 2014, Trial Chamber II convicted Germain Katanga, as an accessory, of one count of crimes against humanity and four counts of war crimes committed during the attack on the village of Bogoro, Ituri (the Democratic Republic of the Congo), on 24 February 2003. The Chamber acquitted Germain Katanga of the other charges that he was facing. The Prosecutor and the Defence have appealed the Judgment. Decisions on the victim reparations will be rendered at a later stage, in due course.
Further information on this case is available here.
Webstreaming
The hearing can be followed live on the ICC website at:
Attending the hearing
Journalists wishing to cover the hearing are kindly invited to request attendance via email to: [email protected]. All journalists must present a valid press card at the public entrance of the Court, located at Regulusweg (The Hague).
Members of the diplomatic corps, NGOs and other members of the public wishing to attend the hearing are kindly invited to request attendance via email to: [email protected]. Attendees must present a valid passport or valid ID with a photo at the public entrance of the Court, located at Regulusweg (The Hague).
Please note that individuals who do not confirm their attendance in advance cannot be guaranteed access to the hearing.
AV materials
Filming or photography is strictly prohibited inside the Court building. However pictures of the hearing will be posted on the Court's Flickr account.
Audiovisual materials will be available for download on an FTP server in video (MPEG-4) and audio (MPEG-3) format after the hearing and for viewing on the official
ICC YouTube Channel.
Media Centre
For media representatives wishing to use the Court's media facilities, the media centre will open from 08:30 until two hours after the end of the hearing.
The area can sit 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; 7 telephones that may be used free of charge for internal calls. For external calls, journalists are advised to 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.
Parking facilities
Parking facilities are available for media representatives at the Regulusweg and Wegastraat car-parks.
SNG trucks
SNG trucks are not allowed to park alongside the ICC building, but should go to the car park located at the intersection of Regulusweg and Wegastraat.
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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