International Criminal Court Moot Explained

International Criminal Court Moot
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International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition
Labelstyle:width:33%
Label1:Established
Data1:2005 (2007 for international rounds)
Label2:Venue
Label3:Subject matter
Label4:Class
Data4:Grand Slam[1] [2] [3]
Label5:Record participation
Data5:114 teams (2024)
Label6:Qualification
Data6:National/regional rounds
Label7:Most championships
Data7:Singapore Management University School of Law (5; 1 online)
Label8:Website
Data8:http://www.iccmoot.com

The International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition or ICCMCC is an annual international moot court competition on international criminal law that is held at The Hague and organised by the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden University, The Hague Campus, with the institutional support of the International Criminal Court and International Bar Association. Pace Law School had conceived of the moot as an in-class exercise in 2004, and it was in 2005 that a domestic competition was started.[4] The competition became international the following year, with the finals being held in 2007.[5] With sometimes more than 100 teams from 50 countries taking part annually, the ICCMCC is the world's largest competition on international criminal law and is considered one of the grand slam or major moots.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] The competition has been held in various languages thus far; in addition to English, there are also Chinese, Spanish, French, and Russian editions of the competition.

Judges of the competition include ICC judges and officers, and teams have to present arguments based on a fictitious problem via the roles of prosecution counsel, defence counsel, government counsel, or victim's representative. The arguments made usually relate to pre-trial or appeal proceedings. Each team is given 20 minutes for the main submissions and 10 minutes for rebuttal/surebuttal. For the English edition of the moot, each country can only send a limited number of teams to participate; depending on the rules for the year, regional or national rounds may be organised to select the teams that will compete in the international rounds. To date, such rounds have been held for the Americas and Caribbean, Brazil, China, Georgia, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, and the Netherlands.[11] For the international rounds, in 2013, semi-final rounds were introduced for the top nine teams, with the top three teams proceeding to the championship final. In 2015, the number of preliminary rounds were increased from three to six, and in 2016 quarter-final rounds were introduced for the top 27 teams. In 2020, the oral rounds were cancelled due to COVID-19, and in 2021 and 2022, the competition adopted an online format. Since 2022, seeding and choice of side have been randomised.

Singapore Management University, which debuted in 2015, has the best track record in this competition, having reached the international championship final six times and winning it five times.

Competition records (English rounds)

Year Total number of teams (international rounds) Champion (win number) 1st and 2nd runners-up (win number) Best Speaker (win number) Best Speaker in Prelims (win number) Best Memorial (win number) Best Prosecution Team (win number) Best Defence Team (win number) Best Government Counsel Team (win number) Best Victim's Representative Team (win number) Best Regional Team (win number) Best Newcomer
2024[12] [13] 114 (88) Singapore Management University (5) Strathmore University (1) Maastricht University (1) West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (1) NA University of the Philippines (2)
  • Africa: Strathmore University (1)
    * Americas & Oceania: University of Miami (2)
    * Asia: Singapore Management University (3)
    * Europe: Maastricht University (1)
University of Milan
2023[14] [15] 81 Universidade Federal da Bahia (1) Maastricht University (1)
  • P: National University of Singapore (1)
    D: National Law University, Jodhpur
    * G: University of the Philippines (1)
    * Overall: University of the Philippines (2)
National University of Singapore (1)Jindal Global Law School (1)Singapore Management University (2) NA
  • Africa: Moi University (1)
    * Americas & Oceania: Universidade Federal da Bahia (1)
    * Asia: National Law University, Jodhpur (1)
    * Europe: Leiden University (2)
Stockholm University
2022 (online)[16] [17] 76 King's Inns (1) King's Inns (1)
  • P: Singapore Management University (2)
    * D: University of Bonn (1)
    * V: University of Bonn (1)
    * Overall: University of Bonn (1)
Universitas Gadjah Mada (1)University of Miami (1) NA King's Inns (1)
  • Africa: Makerere University
    * Americas & Oceania: University of Miami (1)
    * Asia: Singapore Management University (2)
    Europe: University of Bonn (1)
University of Auckland
2021 (online)[18] [19] 95 Singapore Management University (4) Singapore Management University (2)
  • P: Singapore Management University (1)
    * D: University of Ljubljana
    * G: Singapore Management University (1)
    * Overall: Singapore Management University (1)
Singapore Management University (1) Singapore Management University (1) Singapore Management University (1) NA
  • Africa: University of Makeni (1)
    * Americas & Oceania: Osgoode Hall Law School (1)
    * Asia: Singapore Management University (1)
    * Europe: Leiden University (1)
University of Ljubljana
2020 – cancelled due to COVID-19 100+ (71) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
2019[20] 100+ (69) Leiden University (3) Leiden University (1) Chinese University of Hong Kong (1) Chinese University of Hong Kong (3)
  • Universitas Gadjah Mada (1)
    * National Law University, Delhi (2)
University of Ottawa (1) NA NA Kuwait International Law School
2018[21] 100+ (60+) Singapore Management University (3)
  • West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (1)
    *Honorable Society of the King's Inns (1)
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (1) University of Ottawa (1)
  • P: Chinese University of Hong Kong (1)
    * D: Gujarat National Law University (1)
    * V: University of Macau (2)
Chinese University of Hong Kong (2) Gujarat National Law University (1) NA University of the Philippines (1) NA NA
2017[22] 100+ (65) Leiden University (2)
  • Singapore Management University (1)
    * Queensland University of Technology (1)
University of the Philippines (1) University of Aberdeen (1) NA NA
2016[23] 112 (60) Singapore Management University (2) University of Cologne (1) University of New South Wales (2)National Law School of India University (1) National University of Singapore NA NA
2015[24] [25] 100+ (57) Singapore Management University (1)
  • Leiden University (1)
    * National Law University, Jodhpur (1)
Singapore Management University (1) University of Macau (1) Chinese University of Hong Kong (1) NA Bond University (1) Singapore Management University (1) NA NA
2014[26] [27] 80+ (49) National Law University, Delhi (1) University of New South Wales (1) National Law University, Delhi (1) NA NA
2013[28] [29] 50+ (37) Leiden University (1)
  • Osgoode Hall Law School (1)
    * Bond University (1)
Osgoode Hall Law School (1) University of New South Wales (1) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1) NA NA NA
2012[30] 40+ (26) City University of Hong Kong (1) City University of Hong Kong (1) NA NA NA
2011[31] [32] 21 Bond University (2) Nalsar University of Law (1) National Law School of India University (1) Bond University (1) NA NA NA
2010 18 Osgoode Hall Law School (1) Bond University (1) Osgoode Hall Law School (1) Osgoode Hall Law School (2) NA National Law University, Jodhpur (1) NA NA
2009 20 Bond University (1) Bond University (1) Yale University (1) Yale University (1) Yale University (1) NA Bond University (1) NA NA
2008 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
2007 12 University of Pretoria (1)
  • Nalsar University of Law (1)
    * Osgoode Hall Law School (1)
Amsterdam University (1) Osgoode Hall Law School (1) Nalsar University of Law (1) NA NA NA NA

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The 2017/18 International Moots Season in Review. 8 October 2018.
  2. Web site: A Recap of the 2018/19 International Moots Season. 7 September 2019.
  3. Web site: COVID-19 and the 2019/20 International Moots Season. 7 October 2020.
  4. Web site: About Us | ICC Moot Court Competition.
  5. Web site: Organization | ICC Moot Court Competition.
  6. Web site: Another Season of Record-Breaking International Moot Court Achievements (SMU). 31 October 2017.
  7. Web site: Mooting Premier League is back: MPL 7 sees Nalsar, UILS, NLS, NLIU lead after strong 2016 start.
  8. Web site: NUJS emerges Runner up at the ICC Moot Court Competition 2018. June 2018.
  9. Web site: SMU team wins moot contest in the Hague. 15 June 2018.
  10. Web site: IBA ICC Moot Court Competition.
  11. Web site: Winners Regional/National Rounds 2018 | ICC Moot Court Competition.
  12. https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/singapore-management-university-wins-icc-moot-court-competition-english-version-0
  13. https://iccmoot.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Final-11th-edition-Booklet-IBA-ICCMCC-2024-1.pdf
  14. https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/universidade-federal-da-bahia-brazil-wins-icc-moot-court-competition-english-version
  15. https://www.canva.com/design/DAFeqTRnFi0/kX2brnJ-by0Ms2lFI3BU2w/view?utm_content=DAFeqTRnFi0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink#28
  16. https://iccmoot.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IBA-ICCMCC-2022-Booklet.pdf
  17. https://www.ibanet.org/2022-IBA-ICC-Moot-Court-Competition-won-by-The-Honourable-Society-of-Kings-Inns
  18. Web site: Singapore Management University (Singapore) wins ICC Moot Court Competition, English version.
  19. https://iccmoot.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IBA-ICCMCC-2021-Booklet-PDF.pdf
  20. Web site: Awards 2019 | ICC Moot Court Competition.
  21. Web site: Awards 2018 | ICC Moot Court Competition.
  22. Web site: Results ICCMCC 2017 | ICC Moot Court Competition.
  23. Web site: Singapore Management University wins ICC Moot Court Competition, English version . 27 May 2016 . International Criminal Court . 31 May 2016.
  24. Web site: Singapore Management University wins ICC Trial Competition, English version . 22 May 2015 . International Criminal Court . 24 May 2015.
  25. Web site: Singapore Management University wins ICC Trial Competition, English version . 22 May 2015 . The Hague Justice Portal . 24 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150526203754/http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/index.php?id=13280 . 26 May 2015 . dead .
  26. Web site: National Law University, Delhi, wins ICC Trial Competition, English version . 23 May 2014 . International Criminal Court . 24 May 2015.
  27. Web site: 1st Indians to win ICC moot . 30 May 2014 . Legally India . 24 May 2015.
  28. Web site: Leiden University wins the English version of the ICC Trial Competition . 26 April 2013 . International Criminal Court . 24 May 2015.
  29. Web site: Leiden Wins ICC Moot. 28 April 2013.
  30. Web site: City University of Hong Kong wins the ICC Trial Competition (English version) . 1 May 2012 . International Criminal Court . 24 May 2015.
  31. Web site: Bond University (Australia) wins the ICC Trial Competition (English round) . 1 May 2011 . International Criminal Court . 24 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150524062236/http://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/Publications/Newsletter-ASP-6-ENG-web.pdf . 24 May 2015 . dead .
  32. Web site: ICC Trial success for Nalsar: MPL win out of contention? . 19 April 2011 . Legally India . 24 May 2015.