The 19th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot (Asia-Pacific Region) was held from 11 to 14 March 2021 by submission of memorials and virtual oral hearings, in which over a hundred of law students from different Asia-Pacific cities gathered online. A total of 26 teams of law students, including two teams from Hong Kong, competed in a series of simulated trials of controversial issues related to armed conflicts and humanitarian challenges. The event is now the largest inter-university competition in scale of its kind in the Asia-Pacific Region.
And the results are:
The Victoria University of Wellington has declared championship, and the runner-up went to University of Tokyo. Taran Molloy from Victoria University of Wellington – Te Herenga Waka was adjudged the Best Mooter. Awards for the best written Memorials went to University of the Philippines (for Prosecutor) and National University of Taiwan (for Defendant).Congratulations!
This year’s judging panel consisted of over 60 members, including distinguished judges, lawyers and legal scholars from Hong Kong and overseas, as well as IHL experts from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. At the prize presentation ceremony, Mr Jacques Pellet, the Head of ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia said:
“This competition has become a flagship event for the dissemination of IHL, recognized internationally and a source of inspiration. It shows how the different components of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can hold hands to meaningfully fulfil their common mandate of promoting and disseminating international humanitarian law (IHL).”