Nepal: Iran wins regional moot court competition in Kathmandu

27-10-2011 Feature

Iran emerged as the winners of the Henry Dunant Memorial Regional Moot Court Competition organized by the ICRC and Nepal's Judicial Service Training Centre.

Between 20 and 22 October 2011, the seventh annual regional competition in Dhulikhel, near Kathmandu, brought together law students from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The international panel of judges came from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

"The competition has taken on a new dimension this year," remarked Sanoj Rajan, the ICRC's advisor for academic programmes. "The quality of the research and presentations in this regional round was amazing. The performance of all six teams reflects the emphasis that ICRC delegations and universities are placing on international humanitarian law."

Winners Iran and runners-up Sri Lanka will compete in the Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition, which will take place in Hong Kong in early 2012 under the auspices of the ICRC and the Hong Kong Red Cross.

Professor David Ambrose of the Department of Legal Studies at the University of Madras was on the panel of judges. "The quality of the mooting was truly of international standard," he commented. "But in some areas, the students could have focused more on research. What is expected in this kind of mooting is to use the evolving jurisprudence of the International Criminal Court, to know the substantial rules being developed, to determine what a war crime is and to master the procedural aspects in order to prove it, based on evidence."

For Saina Motamedi of the winning Iranian team, the competition has brought valuable lessons. "We learnt a lot from each other about our character and personality. And the most important thing is that I realised how to improve my performance." Her colleague Moshref Javadi emphasized the work involved: "We've had a lot of sleepless nights and I guess we worked for it!

Photos

Dhulikhel, near Kathmandu, Nepal. The Iranian team receives the winners' trophy at the 2011 Henry Dunant Memorial Regional Moot Court Competition. 

Dhulikhel, near Kathmandu, Nepal. The Iranian team receives the winners' trophy at the 2011 Henry Dunant Memorial Regional Moot Court Competition.
© ICRC

Dhulikhel, near Kathmandu, Nepal. The runners-up prize at the 2011 Henry Dunant Memorial Regional Moot Court Competition went to the team from Sri Lanka. 

Dhulikhel, near Kathmandu, Nepal. The runners-up prize at the 2011 Henry Dunant Memorial Regional Moot Court Competition went to the team from Sri Lanka.
© ICRC