ICC - Decision on the Confirmation of Charges Hearing

Decision on the Confirmation of Charges Hearing

ICC-CPI-20070124-194

Situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Case: Prosecutor v. Mr Thomas Lubanga Dyilo

On Monday 29 January, at 3 p.m. Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court will hold a public hearing in The Hague to render its decision regarding the charges presented by the Prosecutor in the case of Mr Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. 

During the hearing the presiding judge, Claude Jorda will read a summary of the Chamber’s decision. The decision will be the result of the Chamber’s deliberations after the confirmation of charges hearing held on 9 to 28 November, 2006, in the presence of the Prosecutor, the suspect and his counsel and the representatives of the victims in the case.

Mr Lubanga Dyilo was charged by the Prosecutor on the basis of individual criminal responsibility with three war crimes: (i) enlisting children under the age of fifteen, (ii) conscripting children under the age of fifteen and (iii) using children under the age of fifteen to participate actively in hostilities.

There are several possibilities as to what decision the Pre-Trial Chamber will render. The Pre-Trial Chamber can:

• Confirm the charges for which it has found sufficient evidence in which the case will proceed to trial. Upon confirmation, the Presidency of the Court will constitute a Trial Chamber responsible for subsequent proceedings.
   
• Refuse to confirm charges for which it has not found sufficient evidence. That decision does not prevent the Prosecutor from presenting a subsequent request for confirmation of the charges on the basis of additional evidence.
   
• Adjourn the hearing and request the Prosecutor to provide further evidence or conduct further investigations.
   
• Adjourn the hearing and request the Prosecutor to amend a charge if the evidence appears to establish a different crime than the one charged.

 

Practical information for the media

Press Attendance
14:30 - 14:50  Public gallery or media centre.
Seating of journalists in area reserved for the press.
Journalists that are not in possession of an ICC accreditation will be handed a temporary press pass on presentation at the reception of a valid ID press card with photograph.
Filming or photography is strictly prohibited inside the Court building. Pending a decision by Pre-Trial Chamber I, photographers may be allowed to take pictures at the beginning of the hearing. In such case, they are required to email their names and contact details to [email protected] no later than Friday 26 January by noon.

Press Conference
17:30 - 18:30 Briefing room.
All participants to the proceedings have been invited.

The Media Centre
The Court’s media centre will open for journalists from 14:00 - 19:30.
The area can seat up to 64 people and includes: plasma TV screens; a Wi-Fi internet service; cards (plug + play) for those without Wi-Fi installation in their PC or laptop; 6 computers with internet access; 7 telephones for internal calls only, are free of charge. For external use, journalists are advised to purchase beforehand 0800 pre-paid phone cards available at newsagents and train stations. Please note that phone cards cannot be obtained in the vicinity of, or at the ICC.

Parking Facilities
Parking facilities will not be available.

ICC Audio-Visual Materials
Live audio and video feeds from the courtroom, including language channels, with a delay of 30-minutes are available from each table in the hot-desk area.

Videostream
The courtroom proceedings and press conference can be followed on the ICC website: http://www.icc-cpi.int.  Please note that there will be a 30-minute delay in transmission of the public hearing.

Eurovision
The hearing and press conference will be re-transmitted via satellite to Africa and Europe on 29 January 2007 from 14:30 - 15:30 GMT (15:30 - 16:30 local time). Please be advised that television stations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive the signal via Canal France International (CFI).
Technical information for TV stations and TV news services will be published at the Court website once received.

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For further information, please contact Ms Sonia Robla on Tel. +31 (0)70 515 8089