Diploma for the Best Memorandum for the Defense at the International Criminal Law Competition in Minsk

From November 26 to 29 oral rounds of the international competition “The Nuremberg Trials and Contemporary International Law” were held. The competition was organized by the International University MITSO in Minsk.

© Faculty of Law, HSE

This year 16 teams from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia were admitted to participate in the advanced rounds.

From the Faculty of Law, team #13, consisting of 3rd year Bachelor students Andrey Kadyrovand Amina Mukhanova, took part in the competition. The coach was a 5th year student of the track “International Law” Roman Abrashin. For two months the team seriously prepared for the competition. Based on the results of the verification of the memoranda of the parties Prosecution and Defense, the team was invited to participate in the oral rounds in Minsk, Belarus.

This year's case centered on an international armed conflict between two fictional states, the Kingdom of Breathtar and the Republic of Caragon. As a result of that conflict, Liora Valen, General of the Republic of Caragon, was charged with war crimes. The case involved issues of procedural and substantive law. The former dealt with the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, the obligations of third States to comply with arrest warrants, and the immunities of officials. The substantive law issues also covered a broad list of topics of international humanitarian law, such as the treatment of prisoners of war, the participation of child soldiers in hostilities, and the infliction of environmental damage on a third State as a result of an armed conflict.

As a result, the HSE team showed excellent knowledge of general international law, international humanitarian law and criminal law. In addition, the team members were honored with an award for the “Best Memorandum for the Defense”.

We congratulate the team on this success and wish them further success in international law competitions!