Afghanistan: ICC Appeals Chamber will hear oral arguments on 4-6 December 2019
On 4-6 December 2019, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will hold a hearing to receive oral arguments in the appeals of victims and of the Prosecutor against Pre-Trial Chamber II's "Decision Pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute on the Authorisation of an Investigation into the Situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan".
The hearing will be held in open court for three days from 4 to 6 December 2019, from 09:30 to 16:00 (The Hague local time), before the Appeals Chamber, composed of Judge Piotr Hofmański, Presiding judge, Judge Howard Morrison, Judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa and Judge Kimberly Prost. The Chamber will make its judgment on these appeals at a later stage.
Given the importance of the legal issues to be addressed, the Appeals Chamber invited interested States to attend the hearing, and invited Professors of criminal procedure and/or international law, including international human rights law, as well as organisations with specific legal expertise in human rights to submit applications to participate as amici curiae at the upcoming hearing.
Background: On 17 September 2019, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II granted in part the request of the Prosecutor for Leave to Appeal the "Decision Pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute on the Authorisation of an Investigation into the Situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan".
On 12 April 2019, Pre-Trial Chamber II had rejected unanimously the request of the Prosecutor to proceed with an investigation on alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
On 20 November 2017, the Prosecutor requested authorisation from Pre-Trial Judges to initiate an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the armed conflict in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan since 1 May 2003, as well as regarding similar crimes related to the armed conflict in Afghanistan allegedly committed in the territory of other States Parties to the Rome Statute since 1 July 2002.
For more information, see: https://www.icc-cpi.int/afghanistan
Webstreaming of the hearing:
The hearing can be followed (with a 30-minute delay) on the
ICC website (Courtroom 1).
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.
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]