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Ref. DC 020 (2016)

Team from University of Cambridge wins 2016 edition of the European Human Rights Moot Court Competition

Strasbourg, 18.02.2016 – Students from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) were declared winners of the fourth edition of the European Moot Court Competition in English on the European Convention on Human Rights, after beating a team from the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" (Bulgaria) in the final round. The team from Babeş Bolyai University (Cluj-Napoca, Romania) placed third.

The Best Orator prize was awarded to Ciju Puthuppally, from the University of Cambridge.

The Best Respondent Written Submission prize was given to the team from the University of Graz (Austria).

The Best Applicant Written Submission prize was awarded to the University of Cambridge.

The final round took place at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg today and its jury, made up of prominent figures, including judges of the Court and senior Council of Europe officials, was chaired by Mark Villiger, former judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

The competition simulates the procedure of complaints to the European Court of Human Rights. Sixteen university teams from twelve countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom) pleaded a fictive case regarding environmental damage and responsibility.

The Moot Court Competition aims at giving law students, who are future legal professionals, practical experience on the European Convention on Human Rights and its implementation. The winning team is awarded a traineeship at the Court.

The competition is organised by the European Law Students Association (ELSA) with the support of the Council of Europe. ELSA is an independent and non-profit organisation bringing together 40 000 students from 300 universities in 43 European countries.

Three Council of Europe member states have financially contributed to the organisation of this competition: Bulgaria, the current Chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Greece and Turkey.

Contact: Can Fişek, Spokesperson/Press officer, tel. +33 3 88 41 30 41