The closing statements in the case The Prosecutor v. Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona are scheduled to take place from 9 to 12 December 2024 at the seat of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court") in The Hague, The Netherlands. They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Statements will be made by the Office of the Prosecutor, the Legal Representatives of Victims, and the Defence. These statements may be followed by questions from the Chamber. Subsequent to the closing statements, the judges will commence their deliberations and the judgment will be pronounced in due course.
Trial Chamber V is composed of Judge Bertram Schmitt (Presiding judge), Judge Péter Kovács, Judge Chang-ho Chung and Judge Beti Hohler (Alternate Judge).
Background: The trial opened on 16 February 2021 before Trial Chamber V. The prosecution called 75 witnesses to testify. The Legal Representatives of Victims also called three witnesses to testify. The Defence teams for both accused called a total of 19 witnesses. On 27 and 28 August 2024, the presentation of evidence of the Defence ended with an unsworn statement of Mr. Ngaïssona. Prior to the holding of closing statements, the parties have also filed their closing briefs.
For further information on this case, check here
Webstreaming: The hearings can be followed with a 30 minute-delayon the ICC website, in English, French and Sango (Courtroom 1).
Attending the hearings:
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Members of the diplomatic corps, NGOs and other members of the public can request attendance via email to: before 6 December 2024. 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).
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Journalists wishing to cover the hearing can request accreditation via email to: before 6 December 2024. 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).
Audio-visual materials:
Images of the hearings will be available for download in video (MPEG-4) and audio (MPEG-3) format, and for viewing on the official ICC YouTube Channel.
