Charles Blé Goudé makes first appearance before the ICC
On 27 March 2014, Charles Blé Goudé appeared before the Single Judge of Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, at the seat of the ICC in The Hague (The Netherlands). The Single Judge set the date of the beginning of the confirmation of charges hearing in the case for 18 August 2014.
The hearing was held in the presence of the Prosecution and the Defence. Charles Blé Goudé was represented by his Defence counsel Nicholas Kaufman. The Single Judge verified the identity of the suspect and ensured that he was clearly informed of the charges brought against him and of his rights under the Rome Statute of the ICC.
The Chamber will soon set a calendar for proceedings leading to the confirmation of charges hearing, including for upcoming status conferences and for the disclosure of evidence. The confirmation of charges hearing is scheduled to open on 18 August 2014.
With a confirmation of charges hearing, Judges will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed each of the crimes charged. If the charges are confirmed, the Pre-Trial Chamber commits the case for trial before a Trial Chamber, which will conduct the subsequent phase of the proceedings: the trial.
Background: On 22 March 2014, Charles Blé Goudé was surrendered to the ICC by the national authorities of Côte d´Ivoire on the basis of a warrant of arrest issued by ICC judges on 21 December 2011 and unsealed on 30 September 2013.
Charles Blé Goudé, national of Côte d’Ivoire, 42 years of age, 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
For photos of the hearing, click here
Audio and video of the hearing:
Video MPEG-4 (for download):
Audio MPEG-3 (for download):
Relevant documents:
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].