Conclusion of the public hearings held on Tuesday 30 April and Wednesday 1 May 2024

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 302 2323 Fax: +31 (0)70 364 9928
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2024/38
1 May 2024
Embassy of Mexico in Quito (Mexico v. Ecuador) Request for the indication of provisional measures Conclusion of the public hearings held on Tuesday 30 April and Wednesday 1 May 2024
THE HAGUE, 1 May 2024. The public hearings on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Mexico in the case concerning the Embassy of Mexico in Quito (Mexico v. Ecuador) concluded today with the statements of Ecuador.
The delegation of Mexico was led by HE Mr Alejandro Celorio Alcántara, Legal Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States, as Agent. The delegation of Ecuador was led by HE Mr Andrés Terán Parral, Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as Agent.
At the end of the presentation of their respective arguments, the Agent of Mexico, on 30 April, and the Agent of Ecuador, on 1 May, made the following requests to the Court:
For Mexico:
“The United Mexican States respectfully requests, that pending final judgment in these proceedings, the Court indicates the following provisional measures:
a) That the Government of Ecuador refrains from acting against the inviolability of the premises of the Mission and the private residences of diplomatic agents, and that it takes appropriate measures to protect and respect them, as well as the property and archives therein, preventing any form of disturbance.
b) That the Government of Ecuador allows the Mexican Government to clear diplomatic premises and the private residence of diplomatic agents.
c) That the Government of Ecuador ensures that no action is taken which might prejudice the rights of Mexico in respect of any decision which the Court may render on the merits.
d) That the Government of Ecuador refrains from any act or conduct likely to aggravate or widen the dispute of which the Court is seized.”
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For Ecuador:
“The Republic of Ecuador requests the Court to reject the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by the United Mexican States.”
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The Court will now begin its deliberation.
The Court’s decision will be delivered at a public sitting, the date of which will be announced in due course.
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History of the proceedings
On 11 April 2024, Mexico filed an Application instituting proceedings against Ecuador with regard to a dispute relating to “legal questions concerning the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means and diplomatic relations, and the inviolability of a diplomatic mission”. The Application also contained a Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted pursuant to Article 41, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the Court (see press release 2024/30).
Pursuant to Article 74 of the Rules of Court, “[a] request for the indication of provisional measures shall have priority over all other cases”.
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The verbatim records of the hearings, including the lists of participating delegations, are available on the case page on the Court’s website. High-resolution video clips and still photos produced by the Registry during the hearings are available free of charge and free of copyright for editorial, non-commercial use, on the Multimedia page on the Court’s website.
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Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and do not constitute official documents.
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in April 1946. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.
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Information Department:
Ms Monique Legerman, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department: +31 (0)70 302 2336
Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2337
Mr Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2394
Email: [email protected]