A new generation of law students recently took centre stage in Armenia’s first-ever Constitutional Justice Moot Court competition. The two-part competition gave students a unique opportunity to learn from experts, draft legal arguments, and practice courtroom advocacy.

The competition was split into two distinct stages designed to take students from the classroom to the courtroom. During Phase I (22–24 May), participating teams attended intensive expert-led training sessions on European human rights standards, constitutional complaints and freedom of expression. They then prepared written submissions addressing a complex case involving disinformation, misinformation and hate speech. During Phase II (29–30 May), held at the Constitutional Court, students presented oral pleadings before Constitutional Court judges in a simulated hearing. The exercise provided participants with practical experience in constitutional litigation and strengthened their legal reasoning, advocacy skills and ability to apply European human rights standards in practice.

Following the preliminary rounds, the teams from the Russian-Armenian University (Aratta team) and the American University of Armenia advanced to the final hearing. The Aratta team was declared the winner of the competition. The moot court was much more than a simple competition. It created a practical platform for students to strengthen their legal writing, public speaking and analytical skills. It also challenged them to think deeply about how to balance freedom of expression with the need to protect the public from harm.

By bringing together students, judges, legal experts and partner institutions, this initiative  strengthened constitutional culture in Armenia and ensured that the country’s future legal professionals are fully equipped to apply Council of Europe standards in domestic constitutional proceedings.

The first Constitutional Justice Moot Court closed with an award ceremony at the Constitutional Court of Armenia, celebrating the commitment, talent and enthusiasm of all participating teams.

The event was organised in co-operation with Constitutional Court of Armenia and the Armenian International Law Association, within the framework of the Council of Europe projects “Promoting Freedom of Expression, Media, and Access to Information in Armenia” implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression and “Support to the development of constitutional justice in Armenia in line with European standards” under the Council of Europe Action Plan 2023-2026 for Armenia.