ICC / Practical information for media: The initial appearance hearing in the case against Laurent Koudou Gbagbo is scheduled for Monday 5 December 2011

THE HAGUE, Netherland, November 30, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- ICC / Practical information for media: The initial appearance hearing in the case against Laurent Koudou Gbagbo is scheduled for Monday 5 December 2011

Situation: Côte d'Ivoire

Case: The Prosecutor v. Laurent Koudou Gbagbo

The initial appearance of Laurent Koudou Gbagbo before Pre-Trial Chamber III of the International criminal Court (ICC) is scheduled for Monday, 5 December 2011, at 14:00 (The Hague local time).

During this public hearing, Pre-Trial Chamber III, composed of Judges Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi (presiding judge), Elizabeth Odio Benito and Adrian Fulford, will verify the identity of the suspect and ensure that he was clearly informed of the charges brought against him and of his rights under the Rome Statute. At the end of this first appearance, the Pre-Trial Chamber will set the date of the next step in the pre-trial proceedings: the hearing on the confirmation of charges.

Mr Gbagbo, born on 31 May 1945, former President of Côte d'Ivoire, allegedly bears individual criminal responsibility, as an indirect co-perpetrator, for four counts of crimes against humanity, namely murder, rape and other sexual violence, persecution and other inhuman acts, allegedly committed in the context of post-electoral violence in the territory of Côte d'Ivoire between 16 December 2010 and 12 April 2011.

Mr Gbagbo was transferred to the ICC's custody on 30 November 2011, in accordance with a warrant of arrest issued by Pre-Trial Chamber III on 23 November 2011. Upon the completion of the transfer, the ICC Registrar, Ms Silvana Arbia, expressed her thanks to the authorities of the Host State, the Netherlands, and the Ivorian authorities for their full cooperation with the ICC, which allowed a successful and swift transfer of the suspect to the ICC detention centre.

For further information and updates on this case, click here.

Web streaming of the hearing

The hearing will be held in open session unless ordered otherwise. The proceedings can be followed live on the ICC website at:

Courtroom I :

• English: http://livestream.xs4all.nl/icc1.asx

• French: http://livestream.xs4all.nl/icc2.asx

Hearing summaries and AV programmes

• Audio and video summaries of the hearing will be available shortly on the ICC YouTube channel for viewing and for downloading in broadcast quality on an ftp server.

• “In the courtroom” programme (radio and television) in French will be available for broadcast later in the day

Attending the hearing

Journalists attending the initial appearance hearing on 5 December are kindly asked to:

• confirm their attendance by sending an email to [email protected];

• arrive no later than 13:30 (The Hague local time);

• use the public entrance located at Regulusweg; and

• present a valid press identification card.

Media Centre

The Court's Media Centre will open at 09:00 and will close at 19:00.

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 capability in their PC or laptop; 6 computers with Internet access; and 7 telephones that may be used free of charge for internal calls. For external calls, journalists are advised to use their mobiles or purchase 0800 pre-paid phone cards beforehand. Such cards are available at newsagents and train stations.

Please note that phone cards cannot be obtained in the vicinity of, or at, the ICC. Mobile phones cannot be used in the public gallery.

Photography

Please note that it will not be possible to take photos in the courtroom before the start of the proceedings. However, the Court will provide to all those currently subscribing to receive ICC press releases a link to a selection of high resolution digital photos taken by the photographer (agency pool) during the hearing.

Recording facilities

The Court will provide feed from the Courtroom to the hot-desk area of the Media Centre. The tables in the Media Centre contain plugs for the video and audio feed from the courtroom (4:3, PAL): BNC video output and XLR audio output. You can record from three possible audio channels: 1 - floor, 2 - French and 3 - English. Each table contains an audio plug. If you need to record on two channels, please use another plug at another table for the second channel. The ICC does not have spare cables available for the crews.

Feed for the SNG trucks

SNG trucks can record the signal from the Courtroom from the distribution box placed in the media parking facilities (see below). Please note that there is no power supply available at the car park and that it is therefore necessary to have a generator.

Parking facilities

Media representatives can use the parking facilities located at the intersection of Regulusweg and Wegastraat.