International Criminal Court To Be Inaugurated

MEDIA ADVISORY

International Criminal Court to be Inaugurated
First 18 Judges to be Sworn-In at High-Level Ceremony

What: The inauguration of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a major step forward in the creation of this first world court capable of trying individuals for the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Netherlands, as the host state of the ICC, has organized the Inaugural Session, in which the court's first 18 judges will be sworn in before a high-level audience including Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Who: The 18 judges-elect to the ICC are: BLATTMANN, René (Bolivia); CLARK, Maureen Harding (Ireland); DIARRA, Fatoumata Dembele (Mali); FULFORD, Adrian (United Kingdom); HUDSON-PHILLIPS, Karl T. (Trinidad and Tobago); JORDA, Claude (France); KAUL, Hans-Peter (Germany); KIRSCH, Philippe (Canada); KOURULA, Erkki (Finland); KUENYEHIA, Akua (Ghana); ODIO BENITO, Elizabeth (Costa Rica); PIKIS, Gheorghios M. (Cyprus); PILLAY, Navanethem (South Africa); POLITI, Mauro (Italy); SLADE, Tuiloma Neroni (Samoa); SONG, Sang-hyun (Rep. of Korea); STEINER, Sylvia H. de Figueiredo (Brazil); and USACKA, Anita (Latvia). The judges will be sworn in by the President of the Assembly of States Parties, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein.

When/Where: The Inaugural Session will be held from 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11 in the Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) of the Dutch Parliament in The Hague, the Netherlands.

How: With the establishment of the ICC there will finally be an international court of recourse to hold accountable those who commit the most serious crimes of global concern. To learn more about the Inaugural Session, the challenging next steps in the establishment of the ICC, and the global experts available for comment, please contact CICC Media Liaison Adele Waugaman through the contact information provided.

Note: Members of the press must register for accreditation with the Netherlands Government Information Service (RVD) by Monday, March 3. (Telephone: +31 70 356 4142; Fax: +31 70 356 4684.) Journalists attending the Inaugural Session are also invited to a press briefing hosted by the ICC and Host State on Monday, March 10 at 11 a.m. at the Nieuwspoort press center of the Parliament, and to a press briefing hosted by the NGO Coalition for the ICC, also on Monday, March 10, at 4:15 p.m. in the Peace Palace. Press credentials with photo I.D. will be required for admittance.

About the Coalition for the International Criminal Court The NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (Coalition) is a global network of well over 1,000 members working together to support a permanent, fair and independent International Criminal Court. For more information, please visit http://www.iccnow.org.

-- Adele Waugaman :: Media Liaison Coalition for the International Criminal Court

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