Paper circulated by the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Action Plan for expediting the criminal process of the International Criminal Court

1. The Court has now been in existence for over ten years. During this time a significant amount of experience has been collected relating to the conduct of proceedings. The Court has produced two reports on Lessons Learned.[1] In the first report a range of issues were identified. The eleventh Assembly of States Parties (ASP) endorsed a Roadmap aimed at expediting the Criminal process of the Court.

1. Under the broad heading of ‘governance’, the Study Group on Governance (SGG) aims to facilitate an ongoing and constructive dialogue with the organs of the Court to increase the Court’s efficiency and expedite its proceedings. Apart from facilitating consultations on amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Evidence (RPE), the proximity of the SGG to the Court in The Hague allows it to engage in a variety of ways with the Court. In doing so, the SGG works in close cooperation with States and other partners, including other international criminal courts and tribunals, experts and NGOs.

1. The Study Group on Governance has, for the twelfth session of the Assembly, submitted proposals for amendments to the RPE, as well as proposals aimed at improving the Roadmap. The SGG has established an excellent working relationship with the Court in this area. The active participation of the Court in the process of expediting the criminal process has proven to be indispensable.

1. Although important progress has been made, States Parties believe that work to expedite the criminal process of the court needs to be accelerated. It is therefore proposed that the ASP decides:

1. that the Court further analyse issues under the “Pre-Trial and Trial relationship and common issues” cluster. Special attention should be given, in particular, to the issues of disclosure, additional evidence for trial, presentation of evidence and record of proceedings. Other issues under that cluster could also be addressed.  The analysis should seek to identify the most important bottlenecks in these areas. This Court should propose measures to deal with these bottlenecks. Such proposed measures could include amendments to the RPE. Also other measures should, however, be considered as appropriate. The Court should present their proposed course of action early in 2014, with a view to presenting them to the SGG by summer 2014.  The annual report, which would include the outcome of the presentation, should be provided in good time before the 13th session of the ASP.

1. to welcome the intention of the Court to look further into the “Language Issues” cluster and make proposals including, but not limited to, amendments to the RPE. Such proposals should be processed in accordance with the revised Road Map.

1. In its work the SGG could, where appropriate, take note of the relevant work by external stakeholders directed at improving the efficiency of the Court. The SGG might, on its own initiative, and in close cooperation with the Court, carry out further analysis based on such work.

1. The SGG should at the next session of the Assembly present concrete proposals for decisions to be taken by the ASP in all the above areas.

Nuclear security summit will be biggest ever in the Netherlands

From Dutch News, Amsterdam. The two-day nuclear security summit hosted in The Hague next year is the biggest international conference ever held in the Netherlands, according to foreign minister Frans Timmermans. Some 50 world leaders are expected to attend the March event, including Russian leader Vladimir Putin and United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon. US president Barack Obama has not yet said if he will attend ‘but we have not yet heard that he is not coming,’ Timmermans told a news conference on Monday. The NSS is an Obama initiative and was launched in 2009 in an effort to ensure nuclear material does not fall into terrorists’ hands. The first summit was held in Washington in 2013, the second in Seoul last year. The Dutch summit will involve 5,000 participants and 3,000 journalists and will cost some €24m to stage, excluding security, the Volkskrant reported. King Willem-Alexander and queen Máxima will host a dinner for senior participants in the Huis ten Bosch palace on the first evening. – See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/11/nuclear_security_summit_will_b.php#sthash.h3N0b24p.dpuf

Direct from the ICC. Situation: The Republic of Kenya Case: The Prosecutor v. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta Today, 26 November 2013, Trial Chamber V(b) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) reconsidered its previous decision excusing Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta from continuous presence at trial, in light of the legal clarifications provided by the Appeals Chamber in its recent judgment on the matter. Trial Chamber V(b) held that as a general rule, Mr Kenyatta must be present at trial. Any future requests to be excused from attending parts of the trial will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Chamber reasoned that the Appeals Judgment, delivered on 25 October 2013 in the case The Prosecutor v. William Samoei Ruto and Joshua Arap Sang, provided important new information which justified the reconsideration. The Appeals Chamber had concluded that a Trial Chamber enjoys discretion under article 63(1), which states that “[t]he accused shall be present during the trial”, but that such discretion was limited. TheAppeals Chamber had ruled that absence is only permissible under exceptional circumstances, and must be limited to that which is strictly necessary. It further held that the decision as to whether the accused may be excused from attending part of his or her trial must be taken on a case-by-case basis. Background: On 18 October 2013, Trial Chamber V(b) had conditionally granted the Defence’s request to excuse Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta from continuous presence at his trial, with the exception of the following sessions: the opening and closing statements of all parties and participants, hearings when victims present their views and concerns in person, the delivery of judgment, and any other attendance ordered by the Chamber. If applicable, his presence will also be required at sentencing hearings, the delivery of sentence, the entirety of victim impact hearings, and reparation hearings. On 28 October 2013, the Prosecution filed a motion for reconsideration of the 18 October decision, in which it requested the Chamber to vacate the excusal decision and revert to the general rule under article 63(1). Mr Kenyatta is charged, as an indirect co-perpetrator, with five counts of crimes against humanity consisting of murder, deportation or forcible transfer, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts allegedly committed during the post-election violence in Kenya in 2007-2008. Charges were confirmed on 23 January 2012, and the case was committed to trial before Trial Chamber V(b). His trial is scheduled to commence on 5 February 2014. Further information on this case is available here.

From 7 to 9 December 2013, Prime Minister Mark Rutte will visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories to launch bilateral cooperation forums with the two administrations.

He will be accompanied by Frans Timmermans, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. They will be joined later in Israel by Henk Kamp, Minister of Economic Affairs. Dutch trade delegations will travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The bilateral cooperation forums will strengthen the Netherlands’ good bilateral relations with Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The overarching theme of both forums is about innovation, with the initial emphasis on agrifood, energy, and water. For the Palestinian Territories, digital technology is also important. As well as government bodies, the forums’ participants include businesses, research institutes, and non-governnmental organisations. The Netherlands wants to use its good relations with Israel and the Palestinian Territories to contribute where possible to peace and security in the Middle East. The bilateral cooperation forums will be held once every two years, alternately in the Netherlands and respectively in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The Netherlands has similar cooperation agreements with France, Germany, and Poland.  

Directly from the ICC. Affaire Bemba : Arrestation de quatre suspects pour subornation de témoins ; Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo suspecté des mêmes charges Les 23 et 24 novembre 2013, les autorités néerlandaises, françaises, belges et de la République Démocratique du Congo ont procédé à l’arrestation de quatre suspects pour des atteintes présumées à l’administration de la justice dans le contexte de l’affaire Le Procureur c. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, suite à un mandat d’arrêt délivré par le juge unique de la Chambre préliminaire II de Cour pénale internationale (CPI), M. le juge Cuno Tarfusser. Ce mandat d’arrêt, pour les mêmes charges, a également été signifié à Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo au quartier pénitentiaire de la CPI où il est détenu depuis le 3 juillet 2008. M. le juge Cuno Tarfusser avait, le 20 novembre 2013, délivré un mandat d’arrêt à l’encontre de Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, son conseil principal Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo (membre de l’équipe de la défense de M. Bemba, chargé de la gestion des dossiers de l’affaire), Fidèle Babala Wandu (membre du Parlement congolais, Secrétaire général adjoint du Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo), et Narcisse Arido (témoin cité à comparaître par la Défense). Le juge unique a considéré qu’il y a des motifs raisonnables de croire que les personnes susmentionnées ont engagé leur responsabilité pénale en commettant des atteintes à l’administration de la justice (article 70 du Statut de Rome), consistant en la subornation de témoins devant la CPI et en la production d’éléments de preuve faux ou falsifiés en connaissance de cause. Les suspects auraient constitué un réseau aux fins de produire des documents faux ou falsifiés et de corrompre certaines personnes afin qu’elles fassent de faux témoignages dans l’affaire concernant M. Bemba. Les autorités belges ont arrêté Aimé Kilolo Musamba, les autorités néerlandaises ont arrêté Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, tandis que Narcisse Arido a été arrêté par les autorités françaises suite aux demandes d’arrestation et de remise que leur avait adressées la CPI. Ils seront remis à la CPI ultérieurement conformément aux procédures judiciaires applicables dans ces trois pays. Fidèle Babala Wandu a été arrêté par les autorités de la République démocratique du Congo et est en cours de transfert à La Haye. La date de l’audience de sa première comparution devant la CPI sera annoncée prochainement. Les autorités ont également coopéré avec la CPI aux fins de la perquisition de lieux concernant les suspects. Le juge unique de la Chambre préliminaire II a également demandé aux Etats concernés de localiser et geler les avoirs des suspects. Le Greffier de la CPI, Herman von Hebel, a exprimé au nom de la CPI sa gratitude aux autorités de ces Etats pour leur coopération, rappelant qu’il s’agit des premières arrestations pour de telles charges devant la CPI. Le procès de Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, président et commandant en chef présumé du Mouvement de libération du Congo, s’est ouvert le 22 novembre 2010, pour deux chefs de crimes contre l’humanité (viol et meurtre) et trois chefs de crimes de guerre (viol, meurtre et pillage) prétendument commis en République centrafricaine. Pour toute information complémentaire, veuillez contacter Fadi El Abdallah, Porte-parole et Chef de l’Unité des affaires publiques, Cour pénale internationale, au +31 (0)70 515-9152 ou +31 (0)6 46448938 ou à l’adresse fadi.el-abdallah@icc-cpi.int.

En l’honneur de Monsieur le Président Abdou Diouf, Secrétaire général de la Francophonie, et a l’occasion de la deuxième session de l’Assemblée des Etats Parties de la Cour pénale internationale, H.E. Ambassadeur de France aux Pays Bas, Pierre Ménat, has received selected guests for a déjeuner-buffet at his residence here in The Hague on Wednesday 20 November, Résidence de France Tobias Asserlaan 1.  Click here for more pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/ Pictures: Emy COTTET-DUMOULIN – Ambassade de France aux Pays-Bas.