This is the case for the upcoming block of hearings starting on 8 June and ending on 3 July 2020.
Relaxation of the government measures to curtail the coronavirus and the steps announced to apply from 1 June 2020 have enabled The Hague District Court to take the decision to open the press centre after all.
Journalists wishing to be allocated a space in the press centre may submit their request up until Monday 1 June 2020 by sending an e-mail to registration.courtmh17@rechtspraak.nl. In response, they will receive a link enabling them to log the days they would like to use the centre in the accreditation system. As space is limited, no more than one person may register from each organisation. If the press centre accreditation requests exceed the number of spaces available, the court may be obliged to allocate spaces. The order in which registrations are received will not be the deciding factor in allocation.
Opening hours and Summary of the Day in Court
The press centre will be open on the days the court is in session from 08.30 until at most one hour after the Summary of the Day in Court session has ended. The summary of the day in court will be presented in the press centre as is customary (approximately half an hour) after the hearing ends. If you are not present in the press centre, you may also view the summary session by livestream. In the week preceding 8 June 2020, you will receive the contact data for submitting questions online.
The Hague District Court will not be setting up a press zone for this block of hearings. The proceedings will be conducted in Dutch and all information translated into English.
Scheduled court days in June 2020
The court days scheduled in the second block of hearings are from Monday 8 June through Friday 3 July 2020. It is not yet known whether each court day will be used. Court days may be shortened, re-scheduled, suspended or even cancelled, depending on the circumstances.
Guidelines of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and of the Justice System
At the press centre, the guidelines of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and of the Justice System apply. Everybody is required to maintain a distance of one and a half metres from others. If you have mild cold symptoms or a fever, please stay home; you will be denied access to the courthouse. In such a case, you may follow the hearing by livestream.
Interview with a judicial spokesperson
Should you wish to interview one of the judicial spokespersons during or after the hearing, please email your request to mh17@rechtspraak.nl. Interviews will be conducted by Skype, in front of the JCS main entrance, or in the press centre. During interviews, please observe a minimum distance of 1.5 metres. On court days, the court shall not grant interviews between 17.00 and 18.00 hours, in view of the preparations for the Summary of the Day in Court session.
Additional information
Please check the website www.courtmh17.com and our Twitter account @CourtMH17 for current information about the criminal case. From 8 June 2020, the hearing(s) may be viewed by livestream on our website.