Gbagbo and Blé Goudé case: ICC Trial Chamber I to deliver decisions on requests for provisional release and No Case to Answer motions on 15 January 2019
Today, 9 January 2019, Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or "Court") scheduled a hearing in open court on Tuesday 15 January 2019 at 11:00 (The Hague local time) to deliver its decision on the 'Requête de la Défense de Laurent Gbagbo afin qu'un jugement d'acquittement portant sur toutes les charges soit prononcé en faveur de Laurent Gbagbo et que sa mise en liberté immédiate soit ordonnée', on the 'Blé Goudé Defence No Case to Answer Motion' as well as on the requests for provisional release.
Background: Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé are accused of four counts of crimes against humanity (murder, rape, other inhumane acts or – in the alternative – attempted murder, and persecution) allegedly committed in the context of post-electoral violence in Côte d'Ivoire between 16 December 2010 and 12 April 2011. Their trial opened on 28 January 2016 before ICC Trial Chamber I.
Since the beginning of the trial, 194 hearing days were dedicated to the presentation of the Prosecutor's evidence and more than 80 witnesses from the Office of the Prosecutor were called in court. On 4 June 2018, the Chamber issued its "Second Order on the further conduct of the proceedings". The Chamber declares that the presentation of the evidence of the Prosecutor is closed.
On 23 July 2018, Laurent Gbagbo's Defense filed its "Requête de la Défense de Laurent Gbagbo afin qu'un jugement d'acquittement portant sur toutes les charges soit prononcé en faveur de Laurent Gbagbo et que sa mise en liberté immédiate soit ordonnée" (Defense Motion for acquittal and immediate release.) On 3 August 2018, the Defence of Charles Blé Goudé filed a No Case to Answer Motion. Hearings were held by the Chamber in October and November 2018 during which the Prosecution, the Legal Representatives of Victims and the two Defence teams presented their arguments regarding this Motion.
On 13 December 2018, the Chamber also held a hearing on the detention of the accused, to hear views from the parties and participants as well as from representatives of the Registry on the matter.
Further information on this case is available here.
Webstreaming of the hearing
The hearing can be followed live on the ICC website at: http://player.cdn.tv1.eu/statics/66005/icc.html
Attending the hearing
- Members of the diplomatic corps, NGOs and other members of the public can request attendance via email to: [email protected]. Attendees must present a valid passport or valid ID with a photo at the main entrance of the Court (at: Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, 2597 AK The Hague).
- Journalists wishing to cover the hearing can request accreditation via email to: [email protected]. 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 individuals who do not confirm their attendance in advance cannot be guaranteed access to the hearings. In order to avoid delays in accessing the building, those attending are advised to arrive one hour before the hearings start.
ICC Media Centre
For media representatives wishing to use the Court's media facilities, the Media Centre will open at 08:30. The ICC Media Centre is located in the building's 'Court Tower'. It is composed of hot desk areas, which can sit up to 104 people, and two interview rooms. The Media Centre distributes the video and embedded audio of the hearing, via HD-SDI with a female BNC connection. Journalists wishing to connect to this should bring compatible equipment and a BNC cable. Power is provided (European plug). Wi-Fi connection is available in the Media Centre.
AV materials
Filming or photography is strictly prohibited inside the Court building, apart from the interview rooms and the Media Centre area.
Images of the hearing will be available for download on an FTP server in video (MPEG-4) and audio (MPEG-3) format, and for viewing on the official ICC YouTube Channel. For information on audio-visual matters, please contact [email protected]
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]
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