Leiden University (The Netherlands) wins ICC Moot Court Competition, English version

Leiden University (the Netherlands) won the International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Court Competition – English edition. The final round was held today, 19 May 2017, in Courtroom I of the ICC in The Hague (the Netherlands). Singapore Management University (Singapore) and Queensland University of Technology (Australia) won, respectively, second and third places. The award for the Best Speaker went to Samantha Ann Tirthdas from the University of the Philippines, who was competing in the previous rounds leading to the final. Members of the winning team are Lena Ellen Becker, Stephen Greatley-Hirsch, Mariana Leite, Hugh McGowan, Lilla Ozoráková, Jens Iverson and Sara Pedroso.

On the judge's bench for this competition were ICC Judge Geoffrey Henderson, presiding, Hirad Abtahi, Head of Unit and Legal Adviser in the ICC Presidency, and William St-Michel, Associate Legal Adviser in the ICC Presidency.

This version of the ICC Moot Court Competition is organised by the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies – Leiden University, in partnership with the International Bar Association and sponsored by the Planethood Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and The Hague Municipality. Top students of 64 universities from almost 50 countries and six continents worldwide participated in the preliminary stage of this year's ICC Moot Court Competition.

In the context of its Academic Programme, the ICC supports the organisation of ICC Moot Court Competitions in Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish, with a view to also support Arabic and French versions in the future. These initiatives play a critical role in galvanising interest in the Court's work with academic communities as well as in enhancing promotion and respect for international criminal law. 

Photos of the competition and awards ceremony are available: here

For further information, please contact the Public Affairs Unit of the International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9294 or +31 (0)70 515-9767 or by e-mail at: [email protected]

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