The 2022 International Criminal Court Chinese Moot Court Competition recently took place, and the Wuhan University team won the first prize with the highest total points in China. The team was also awarded first prize in the Best Defense Lawyer's Pleading Award and the Best Defense Lawyer Comprehensive Award. Team members Ruan Jingcheng and Li Xiang won the Award of the Top Ten Defense Lawyers and the Personal Top Ten Victims' Acting Lawyer respectively, setting the best records since our university team’s participation in the competition.

Group photo of the team

This competition attracted 81 teams from Peking University, Tsinghua University, East China University of Political Science and Law, Central University of Finance and Economics and other universities, hitting a record high. After the review session,51 teams advanced to the main round of the courtroom debate. The outcome was finally judged after two rounds of fierce competition.

The courtroom debate

The representative team of our university was established in May 2021. Professor Feng Jiehan of the School of Law and the Institute of International Law served as the head coach, and graduate student Wang Jinghang served as the executive coach. The eight participants, including Ruan Jingcheng, Fang Muyun, Li Xiang, Xu Shengnan, Wan Chao, Cui Jinghan, Zou Chuyan, Nisha, are undergraduates and graduate students from the School of Law, Institute of International Law and the China Institute of Boundary and Oceanographic Research. During the past year's preparation, instructors, executive coaches and participating team members explored the reforms of practical teaching models through the International Law Moot Court course study, group discussions, pleadings writing, mock court arguments, etc. The participating team members conducted in-depth research on the basic theory of international law, international criminal law, and international human rights and humanitarian law. During the competition, they fully demonstrated a solid foundation of knowledge on international law, professional court debate ability and good solidarity and cooperation spirit among the students of Wuhan University.

The team preparing for the competition

The “International Criminal Court Chinese Moot Court Competition” is the largest moot court competition nationwide and, at the same time, the only International Law Moot Court competition held in Chinese and outside Greater China. The competition is sponsored by the Chinese Initiative on International Criminal Justice, and directly supported by the International Criminal Court. It is aimed at disseminating the values of international criminal law and international judicial institutions in Chinese, one of the six official languages of the International Criminal Court, and further promote the establishment of cemented connections among universities and the International Criminal Court as well as other international courts, international organizations and non-governmental organizations.

Rewritten by Xie Anqing

Edited by Zhou Yue, Zou Xiaohan, Sylvia, Xi Bingqing