Opening of the confirmation of charges hearing in the Blé Goudé case on 29 September 2014: Practical information

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

On Monday, 29 September 2014, the confirmation of charges hearing in the case The Prosecutor v. Charles Blé Goudé will start before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at 09:30 (The Hague local time) and is scheduled until 2 October 2014.

The hearing will be held before Pre-Trial Chamber I composed of Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi (presiding judge), Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova and Judge Christine van den Wyngaert, in the presence of the Prosecution, the suspect and his Defence, and the Legal Representatives of Victims. The suspect is also scheduled to make a statement at the end of the hearing.

The confirmation of charges hearing is held to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed each of the crimes charged. If charges are confirmed, the Pre-Trial Chamber commits the case to trial before a Trial Chamber, which conducts the subsequent phase of the proceedings: the trial.

Charles Blé Goudé allegedly bears individual criminal responsibility, as indirect co-perpetrator, for four counts of crimes against humanity, namely murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution, and other inhuman acts, allegedly committed in the territory of Côte d'Ivoire between 16 December 2010 and 12 April 2011.

Further information on this case is available here.

Related documents

• Decision on the schedule for the confirmation of charges hearing
• Decision on the "Prosecution's Request for Variation of Time Limits Pursuant to Regulation 35 concerning the Confirmation of Charges" 
• Warrant of arrest
• Case Information Sheet: English, Français
• Questions et réponses sur l’audience de confirmation des charges dans l’affaire Le Procureur c. Charles Blé Goudé, 29 Septembre – 2 octobre 2014
• The Courtroom: English, Français

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 given the expected high attendance for this hearing, individuals who have not received a confirmation email in advance cannot be guaranteed access to the hearing. 

Webstreaming

The hearing can be followed, with a 30-minute delay, on the ICC website at:

Courtroom II

English | Français

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.

Integral audio and video recordings (compressed files) as well as audio and video summaries of the opening and closing statements (for slower connections) will be available for download on an FTP server in an mpeg 4 format (video) and mpeg 3 format (audio) on Monday, 29 September and Thursday, 2 October 2014.

The radio and television programme "In the Courtroom" summarizing the entire confirmation of charges proceedings (in French) will be available for download on Thursday 2 October for download from an FTP server and viewing on the Court's YouTube Channel.

For information on audio visual material, please email: [email protected].

Media Centre

For media representatives wishing to use the Court's media facilities during the opening of the confirmation hearing, 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 Sonia Robla, Chief of Public Information Section, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-8089 or 31 (0)6 46448726 or by e-mail at: [email protected].

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