Bangui, 18 October 2007
ICC-20071018-253-En
Today, 18 October 2007, the Registrar of the International Criminal Court, Mr Bruno Cathala, inaugurated the field office of the Court in Bangui, Central African Republic.
The inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of representatives of the central and local governments, the diplomatic corps, judicial authorities, civil society groups and the media.
This is the fifth field office established by the Court in Africa, in the countries where the Court currently conducts its operations. To date, the Court has field offices in Kampala, Uganda; Kinshasa and Bunia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Abéché, Chad.
The new field office was established in a very short timeframe, barely five months after the Prosecutor announced the opening of an investigation into the situation in the Central African Republic on 22 May 2007. Its establishment is in line with the Court's overall strategy. The field office is the Court's public face in the field. It will provide administrative and logistical support for the Court's activities. It will enable teams of investigators, the defence, as well as experts in victim participation and reparation, outreach and witness protection to work effectively in the field.
In his speech, the Registrar recalled that "the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court was especially dependent on its acceptance and the understanding of its role by the people of the Central African Republic and, in particular, by the victims of the crimes under investigation by the Prosecutor".
While in Bangui, the Registrar also met with the President of the Central African Republic, Mr Bozize, and the Prime Minister, Mr Dote, to brief them on the mandate and functioning of the Court.
The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court which investigates and prosecutes persons suspected of committing the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
For further information please contact:
In The Hague: Ms Sonia Robla, Head of Public Information and Documentation Section at +31 (0)70 515-8089 or at sonia.robla@icc-cpi.int
In Bangui: Ms Cecilia Balteanu, External Relations Officer, Registry, at +236 3 28 87 or at cecilia.balteanu@icc-cpi.int