Closing Statements in the Said trial to take place on 25-27 November 2025: Practical Information

The Closing Statements in the case The Prosecutor v. Mahamat Said Abdel Kani are scheduled to take place from 25-27 November 2025 at the seat of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "the Court") in The Hague, The Netherlands, commencing at 09:30 (The Hague time) in Courtroom 1. As a former alleged Seleka commander, Mr Said is accused of crimes against humanity (imprisonment or other severe deprivation of liberty; torture; persecution and other inhumane acts) and war crimes (torture; cruel treatment and outrages upon personal dignity) allegedly committed at the Office Central de Répression du Banditisme ('OCRB') in Bangui (Central African Republic) in 2013.

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 VI is composed of Judge Miatta Maria Samba (Presiding Judge), Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera, Judge Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godínez and Judge Keebong Paek (Alternate Judge).

Background: The trial in this case opened on 26 September 2022. The Prosecution concluded its presentation of evidence on 15 November 2024, the Chamber having heard the testimony of 58 Prosecution witnesses. On 17 March 2025, the Defence called its first witness and concluded its presentation of evidence on 2 September 2025. On 25 September 2025, the Prosecution and Legal Representative of Victims submitted their Closing Briefs, and the Defence's is due to be filed shortly.

For further information on this case, check here.

Webstreaming: The hearings can be followed with a 30 minute-delay on the ICC website, in English, French and Sango (Courtroom 1).

Attending the hearings:

• Members of the diplomatic corps, NGOs and other members of the public can request attendance via email to: [email protected] before 21 November 2025. 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).
• Journalists wishing to cover the hearing can request accreditation via email to: [email protected] before 21 November 2025. 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 the official ICC YouTube Channel. For more information, please contact [email protected]

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected]

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