Ref:
64/2012

The Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) will organize on Saturday and Sunday 14 and 15
July 2012 the activities of the International Criminal Law Moot Court
Competition, concluding the first International Criminal Law Moot Court
Competition in the Gaza Strip.

Besides
inauguration, the first day will include three rounds during which the
competing student groups (3 groups comprised of 10 students each) will play the
roles of defense and prosecution in a fictional case simulating cases brought
before the International Criminal Court (ICC).  During these rounds, student groups will also
make oral and written submissions before a jury. In these submissions, student
groups will use articles from the international criminal law and the
international humanitarian law to support their arguments presented to the
court.  Students will compete against one
another through the presentation of their legal arguments in the context of a
hypothetical criminal case dispute between the parties.

The final round of
pleadings, the closing ceremony and distribution of certificates to the
participating students will be on the second day.

Today, 12 July
2012, a number of Arab high profile judges and lawyers are arriving in the Gaza
Strip to form the jury of the moot court during the competition.

PCHR inaugurated
the moot court project on 14 February 2012 with support from UNDP and
supervision of OHCHR.

The project has
been implemented in cooperation with 3 Palestinian universities: al-Azhar
University, Islamic University and the University of Palestine. Ten students
were selected from each university (30 students in total) to benefit from the
project. Over the preparation period between January and July 2012, local and
international legal experts provided training to students on international
humanitarian law and international criminal law.

The project aims at
giving the chance to university students in law faculties in the Gaza Strip to
increase their knowledge in the area of international humanitarian law and
international criminal law, especially ICC and ICC Statute. It also aims at
enhancing the legal education system in local academic institutions and
increasing students’ ability to apply the principles of the law and practically
work on cases.