Geneva Academy
29 May 2017
From 26 to 29 July 2017, a Geneva Academy team will be one of 42 teams coming from 27 countries participating in the 2017 Nuremberg Moot Court.
The team is made of students from our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (LLM) and our Master of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law (MTJ). It is coached by Tom Gal and Antonio Coco, Teaching Assistants at the Geneva Academy and PhD students at the Law Faculty, University of Geneva.
During four days, Tafadzwa Christmas (MTJ), Elena Piasentin (LLM), Lina Rodriguez (MTJ), Caroline Siewert (LLM) and Thomas Van Poecke (LLM) will have to address complex procedural and substantive issues of international criminal law.
‘Nuremberg has been at the centre of the creation of international criminal law as we know it today. Pleading in this historic environment is a unique opportunity and reminds us of the reasons why we need this branch of law’ stresses Caroline Siewert.
‘For me, the Nuremberg Moot Court is a way to complement my experience at the Geneva Academy by immersing myself in the field of international criminal law in a practical manner. The fact that I can do so together with team members of diverse backgrounds makes the project even more rewarding’ underlines Thomas Van Poecke.
‘The Nuremberg Moot Court is a great opportunity to apply the students' knowledge of international criminal law to a fictive case, improving at the same time their interpersonal and presentation skills. With regard to the Geneva Academy specifically, for the first time students from two different programmes – the LLM and the MTJ – will have a chance to work together as a team. It will be a highly formative experience for all of them’ underline Tom Gal and Antonio Coco.
It is the first time that the Geneva Academy participates in the Nuremberg Moot Court. Participation in moot courts forms an integral part of the LLM and MTJ. It allows students to put in practice what they’ve learned throughout the year.
‘Interacting with students from different disciplines allows me to put into practice the knowledge I gained during the year at the Geneva Academy. As a team we take a holistic approach and we join efforts when dealing with a practical case, which is a very enriching experience’ underlines Lina Rodriguez.
‘Participation in this moot court allows us to put into practice what we've learned during the year, with each of us bringing their specific contribution to the team. For me personally, it represents an important commitment and a challenge I undertook to gain more confidence in myself’ stresses Elena Piasentin.
The Nuremberg Moot Court is organized by the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg. It is held in Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, where the famous Post-World War II trials took place.
The Nuremberg Moot Court Competition preserves this legacy of the fight against impunity, promoting and implementing the knowledge of international criminal law and the Nuremberg Principles, which are the foundation of criminal courts worldwide.
The Moot Court takes place every summer. Teams from around the world gather together to present their legal briefs before a panel of judges, comprised of world-renowned experts. Each team presents either as the prosecution or the defence. Teams are evaluated for the content of their briefs as well as their presentation skills, team work and spirit.
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