Initial appearance of Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona scheduled for 25 January 2019
The initial appearance of Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or "Court") is scheduled for Friday, 25 January 2019, at 14:30 (The Hague local time) in Courtroom I. Pre-Trial Chamber II is composed of Judge Antoine Kesia‐Mbe Mindua, Presiding, Judge Tomoko Akane and Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala.
On 23 January 2019, Mr Ngaïssona was transferred to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, by the authorities of the French Republic pursuant to an ICC arrest warrant for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in the Central African Republic ("CAR"). This transfer followed the completion of necessary national proceedings in France, where he was arrested on 12 December 2018.
During the initial appearance hearing, the Chamber will verify the identity of the suspect and the language in which he is able to follow the proceedings. He will be informed of the charges against him.
Decision setting the date for the initial appearance of Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona
Background: On 7 December 2018, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II issued an arrest warrant for Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in various locations in the CAR between at least 5 December 2013 and at least December 2014:
crimes against humanity: murder and attempted murder, extermination, deportation or forcible transfer of population, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts; and
war crimes: murder and attempted murder, torture, cruel treatment, mutilation, intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population, intentionally directing an attack against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in a humanitarian assistance, intentionally directing an attack against buildings dedicated to religion, pillaging , enlistment of children under the age of 15 years and their use to participate actively in hostilities , displacement of the civilian population and destroying or seizing the property of an adversary.
Further information on this case is available here.
Information materials:
Webstreaming of the hearing:
The hearing can be followed live on the
ICC website.
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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