header-logo header-logo

All rise for the 2024 IBA ICC Moot Court

10 June 2024
Categories: Legal News , International , Education , Training & education
printer mail-detail
The annual International Bar Association (IBA) International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Court Competition has begun in The Hague, Netherlands, with more than 350 young professionals participating

Now in its 11th year, the seven-day programme—organised in collaboration with the Grotius Centre for International Legal studies of the Leiden University—brought together 500 law students from 47 countries, comprising 93 teams.

The ICC Moot Court is a simulation of the ICC, with participants acting as prosecution, defence and victims’ counsel. Students presented arguments this year on the fictional case of The Prosecutor v Lionel Strong—Situation in the Republic of Sirax. The case concerns the question of whether the destruction of cultural heritage is a prosecutable war crime or a crime against humanity.

Addressing the competition participants, Judge Tomoko Akane, International Criminal Court (ICC) president, said: ‘The ICC is entrusted with a noble mandate: to fight against impunity and establish the rule of law by carrying out fair judicial proceedings… [T]he issues contained in the moot problem are actual issues that may arise in real world situations or those that have been relevant in actual cases before the court.

‘One of the great characteristics of this competition is also that many of the judges who will pose questions to you are familiar with the practice in ICC proceedings. I am therefore confident that in attempting to persuade these judges, you will learn a lot about the actual practice of ICC proceedings, and not just the theory.’

The final round was due to take place on 7 June 2024 at the ICC, with students presenting oral argument before ICC Judge Althea Violet Alexis-Windsor.

IBA executive director Mark Ellis said: ‘Over the years our Moot Court has contributed to a global community of practitioners who will carry on the fight against injustice and criminal acts into the next generation and beyond.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

mfg Solicitors—Brian Hession

mfg Solicitors—Brian Hession

Birmingham commercial property team bolstered by partner hire

STEP—Sara Morgan

STEP—Sara Morgan

Fieldfisher director re-elected as deputy chair of England Wales committee

Osborne Clarke—Andrew Eaton

Osborne Clarke—Andrew Eaton

Restructuring and insolvency expert joins as partner

NEWS
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
back-to-top-scroll