Media Advisory: 16 June 2017

Al Bashir case: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II to deliver decision on South Africa’s cooperation on 6 July 2017

ICC-CPI-20170616-MA213

On 16 June 2017, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (the "ICC" or "Court") issued an order convening a public hearing on 6 July 2017 at 14:00 (The Hague time) for the delivery of its decision under article 87(7) of the Rome Statute, on the compliance by the Republic of South Africa with the Court's request for arrest and surrender of Mr Omar Al Bashir to the ICC. The Chamber invited the Prosecutor and Representatives of South Africa to attend the hearing.

Order convening a hearing for the delivery of the Chamber's decision under article 87(7) of the Statute

Further information on this case is available here.

Background: Despite the Court's request for arrest and surrender of Omar Al Bashir to the Court, South Africa did not arrest and surrender him while he was on its territory between 13 and 15 June 2015.  On 7 April 2017, Pre-Trial Chamber II held a hearing where it received submissions from Representatives of the Republic of South Africa and from the Prosecutor, for the purpose of a determination under article 87(7) of the Statute, in particular on the issues of:

  1. whether South Africa failed to comply with its obligations under the Statute by not arresting and surrendering Omar Al Bashir to the Court while he was on its territory; and, if so,

  2. whether circumstances are such that a formal finding of non-compliance by South Africa in this respect and referral of the matter to the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute and/or the Security Council of the United Nations are warranted.

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 in video (MPEG-4) and audio (MPEG-3) format. For information on audio-visual matters, please contact Violeta Willemsen-Curcic, Head of Audio-Visual Production Unit: [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/Head, 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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