On 18-19 December 2020, Council of Europe held oral rounds of the Moot court competition on application of the European Convention of Human Rights for law students of Belarus Universities. The competition started in 2019 with a series of trainings for law professors and students and gathered 10 teams from various regions of the Republic of Belarus (Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Polotsk, Mogilev, Minsk and Vitebsk).
The competition aimed at enhancing participants’ practical knowledge and application of the European Convention on Human Rights and its case-law through targeted trainings, written submissions and a series of oral pleadings on a particular case.
The teams took on a case and argued it in front of panel of judges, among judges students were honoured to have judges of the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Latif Huseynov and Judge Ganna Yudkivska, a lawyer of the European Court of Human Rights Mr Dmitry Gurin, Ms Oksana Kachalova representing Russian State University of Justice, Ms Ekaterina Efimova, lawyer at Threefold Legal Advisors and Mr Maxim Timofeev, Council of Europe expert and law professor.
According to written submissions and semi-final rounds of the competition, two teams (Brest and Vitebsk regions) were chosen to participate in the Final round. The team representing Vitebsk State University won the Final round of the competition.
The judges of the Moot court were impressed by student’s knowledge and capacity to think critically, how they demonstrated their legal argument skills and noted students’ understanding of ECHR principles and its case-law. All students will receive a certificate of participation in the Moot court and the winners will receive books by Harris, O'Boyle & Warbrick: Law of the European Convention on Human Rights. An online study visit will be likewise organised for winners of the Moot court in 2021.
The Moot Court Competition provided a unique opportunity for law students of the Republic of Belarus who gained first-hand knowledge on European and human rights standards and practical experience on the ECHR and its implementation. All participants of the competition deserve congratulations on their achievements and encouragement for future successes.
The event was held in the framework of Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the right to a fair trial in Belarus criminal justice” implemented within the EU/CoE Programme “Partnership for Good Governance II”.
