On 22 May 2015, Singapore Management University won the final round of the ICC Trial Competition, English version. Pictured here is the winning team with ICC Judge Howard Morrison in ICC Courtroom I in The Hague (Netherlands), from left to right: Judge Morrison, Annabelle Teo, Samuel Yap, Alexis Ang, Shi Hao Foo, Chin Kiat Ong and Edmund Koh. © ICC-CPI
Today, 22 May 2015, Singapore Management University (Singapore) won the final round of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Competition, English version, held in ICC Courtroom I in The Hague (Netherlands). Leiden University (The Netherlands) and National Law University, Jodhpur (India) won, respectively, second and third place. The winning team comprised of Annabelle Teo, Samuel Yap, Edmund Koh, Alexis Ang, Shi Hao Foo and Chin Kiat Ong. The Best Speaker award for the English-language competition went to Anabelle Teo of Singapore Management University.
This year, 55 teams comprising a total of 330 participants from 38 countries worldwide participated in the English-language simulation exercise on the applicable law and jurisprudence of the ICC. Before a bench composed of ICC Judge Howard Morrison and ICC Legal Officers Philipp Ambach and Savina Savidis, the teams competed on a fictitious case, presenting oral arguments during an appeals hearing in the roles of Prosecution, Defence and Legal Representatives of a Government.
After a break for deliberations, Judge Howard Morrison 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 official website.
The ICC Trial Competition is organised by the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden University, The Hague Campus, with the institutional support of the ICC. Also cooperating on the project are the Planethood Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, the Government of Luxembourg, the Municipality of The Hague, the Ministry of Security and Justice of the Netherlands, Doughty Street International, the European Society of International Law and the Lutfia Rabbani Foundation.
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.
