Peking University wins ICC Trial Competition, Chinese version

Today, 12 June 2015, Peking University (Beijing, China) won the final round of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Competition, Chinese version, held in ICC Courtroom I in The Hague (Netherlands). Tianjin University (Tianjin, China) and University of International Relations (Beijing, China) won, respectively, the second and third place. The Best Speaker award went to Han SHEN of Peking University. The winning team is composed of Wanyi TANG (coach), and Wen DUAN (assistant coach), Jie SHEN, Hengzi ZHANG, Han SHEN, Jie XU, Lili WU, and Yumei PANG.

Before a bench composed of ICC Judge Geoffrey A. Henderson (presiding), ICC Legal Officer Ms Elizabeth Little, and Associate Professor Ms Lijun Yang, the teams competed on a fictitious case, presenting oral arguments during an appeals hearing in the roles of Prosecution, Legal Representatives of the Victims and Government Representatives. After a break for deliberations, the jury announced the bench's decision and an awards ceremony was held for all participants. The finalists' peers attended the event in the Court's public galleries and the event was web streamed live on the Court's website.

This year, 25 teams from different Chinese universities, including one from Hong Kong, participated in the competition, where students put to the test their knowledge of the applicable law and jurisprudence of the ICC. After the main rounds and semi-final, the three top teams came to The Hague for a six-day study visit before the final competition at the ICC.

The study-visit offered the students a unique opportunity to gather in an exciting setting and to meet with eminent personalities of the international law scene. The students visited several international institutions and organizations, such as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Anne Frank House and the Leiden University. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs also arranged a one-day programme for the students including interactions with Ministry staffs and a public event at the Humanity House.

This version of the ICC Trial Competition is organised by the Chinese Initiative on International Criminal Justice (CIICJ), sponsored by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beijing, with the institutional support of the ICC, the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies (Leiden University) and thanks to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Fangda Partners, and the Guangdong Guangda Law Firm.

In the context of its Academic Programme, the ICC supports the organisation of ICC Trial 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 here.

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected].

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