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STRATHMORE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

VENUE: Strathmore Law School

DATES: 24th – 27th January 2023

Background

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) has a total of one hundred and twenty-three (123) State parties. Thirty-three (33) of the State parties are African States.[1] Consequently, the African continent arguably produces the highest number of parties to the Rome Statute. In addition, most of the accused persons before the International Criminal Court (ICC) have been from African states. Further, one of the novel criminal tribunals, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established to deliver justice to the victims of the  Rwandan genocide, an African county. Lastly, Africa has successfully adopted African traditional mechanisms to serve justice and ensure reconciliation including the magamba spirits  in Mozambique, Gacaca Courts in Rwanda and the bashingantahe in Burundi.[2]

Despite the existence of and continued practice of the various forms of administration of international criminal justice in post-conflict African countries, not much has been done to mentor the next generation of scholars with an interest in the area. Most regrettably, no international criminal law moot court competition currently exists in the region.

Accordingly, it is proposed that the Strathmore Law School establishes an inaugural Strathmore International Criminal Law Moot Court Competition to fill this existing gap.

[1] The States Parties to the Rome Statute.

[2] Luc Huyse and Mark Salter (eds) Traditional Justice and Reconciliation After Violent Conflict: Learning from  African Experiences (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008).

About the SICLMC

Principal Aims of SICLMC

The SICLC is principally aimed at encouraging advocacy and scholarship in Public International Law (PIL) generally and more specifically in International Criminal Law (ICL) and by extension International Humanitarian Law (IHL) matters. Further, the SICLC is aimed at creating a pool of African students with a keen interest in international criminal justice by exposing them to the procedures and practice of ICL and IHL in the ICC as well as special  criminal courts and tribunals.

Objectives of the SICLMC

The objectives of the SICLMC are to:

  1. Encourage advocacy and scholarship in Public International Law (PIL) generally and more specifically in International Criminal Law (ICL) and by extension International Humanitarian Law (IHL) matters.
  2. Create a pool of African students with a keen interest in international criminal justice by exposing them to the procedures and practice of ICL and IHL in the ICC as well as special criminal courts and tribunals.
  3. Develop and nurture legal research, writing, analytical and advocacy skills of participants.
  4. Create a platform for the interaction of participants with fellow participants and the panel of judges made up of distinguished personalities drawn from practitioners and experts in the field.

Projected Impact of the SICLMC

  1. Training and Experience

The SICLMC moot question as formulated raises complex legal issues around international criminal law and related areas of law. This will create opportunities for the students to gain experience in, not only advocacy, but also the procedures of international criminal court, special criminal courts and tribunals. Consequently, this will spark an interest for further participation and contribution by students in the international criminal justice space.

  1. Marketability

The legal research, analytical, writing and oral advocacy skills acquired in the SICLMC are very valuable in a wide range of practice areas and make participants more marketable to legal employers and better prepared for the job market.

  1. Networking

Participants in the SICLMC will have a chance to interact with fellow participants and the panel of judges made up of distinguished personalities drawn from practitioners and experts in the  field.

  1. Writing Samples

The process of carefully researching, writing and refining briefs for the SICLMC will provide participants with excellent writing samples for prospective employers.

MOOT Documents

Below are documents that the competing teams need to familiarize themselves with ahead of the competition in November.

Any questions regarding the same can be directed to strathmoreiclmoot@strathmore.edu.