The Nuremberg Moot Court takes place every summer at the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. FAU CHREN also supports the Moot Court every year.
What is the Nuremberg Moot Court?
Organized by the International Nuremberg Principles Academy in cooperation with the International Criminal Law Research Unit (ICLU Erlangen-Nuremberg), the competition brings together university teams from all over the world to deal with various issues of international criminal law in the form of a fictitious case. The students prepare a memorandum on the case, which they then present at the competition.
During the proceedings, the teams compete against each other – as prosecution or defense – and present their arguments before a panel of judges. They must not only present their position convincingly, but also answer critical questions from the judges, all under time pressure and without breaking character.
At the end, the team that convinces the panel of judges with compelling arguments, strong rhetoric and well-founded answers to the judges’ questions wins the competition.
Why Nuremberg?
After the surrender of the Nazis, war crimes tribunals were set up in Nuremberg in 1945 and in Tokyo in 1946 to bring those primarily responsible for the Second World War to justice. The Nuremberg Trials took place in the famous Courtroom 600 of the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg and marked a milestone in the development of international criminal law.
The Nuremberg Trials took place in the famous Courtroom 600 of the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg and marked a milestone in the development of international criminal law.
With the establishment of these tribunals, international criminal law took concrete form for the first time. The resulting ‘Nuremberg Principles’ later formed an essential basis for the drafts of the United Nations International Law Commission.1 This is why Nuremberg is a suitable location for a competition in international criminal law.
What makes the Nuremberg Moot Court so special?
It is not only the historical setting that makes the Nuremberg Moot Court so special, but also highly esteemed professionals in the field, such as judges, academics and other practitioners travel to Nuremberg to sit on the moot court panels.
How is the moot court related to FAU CHREN and human rights?
As a close cooperation partner of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, FAU CHREN provides members who participate in the competition as judges every year.
In addition to giving our members the opportunity to interact with young students from all over the world, international criminal law, which is at the heart of the moot court, is of great importance for (international) human rights. This year, FAU CHREN board member Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski was among the judges.
International criminal law serves as a mechanism at the international level to enforce human rights so that individuals can also be held accountable.2 It is intended to be an instrument to sanction the most serious human rights violations and prevent future ones.3 For example, in an armed war, human rights such as the right to life are suspended. By criminalizing certain acts, the core of human dignity is to be upheld.4 The protection of human rights is therefore the basis for international criminal law. International criminal law is at the heart of the Nuremberg Moot Court, and human rights are therefore also a fundamental part of the competition.
Footnotes and further informations
The Nuremberg Moot Court takes place every summer at the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. FAU CHREN also supports the Moot Court every year.
What is the Nuremberg Moot Court?
Organized by the International Nuremberg Principles Academy in cooperation with the International Criminal Law Research Unit (ICLU Erlangen-Nuremberg), the competition brings together university teams from all over the world to deal with various issues of international criminal law in the form of a fictitious case. The students prepare a memorandum on the case, which they then present at the competition.
During the proceedings, the teams compete against each other – as prosecution or defense – and present their arguments before a panel of judges. They must not only present their position convincingly, but also answer critical questions from the judges, all under time pressure and without breaking character.
At the end, the team that convinces the panel of judges with compelling arguments, strong rhetoric and well-founded answers to the judges’ questions wins the competition.
Why Nuremberg?
After the surrender of the Nazis, war crimes tribunals were set up in Nuremberg in 1945 and in Tokyo in 1946 to bring those primarily responsible for the Second World War to justice. The Nuremberg Trials took place in the famous Courtroom 600 of the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg and marked a milestone in the development of international criminal law.
The Nuremberg Trials took place in the famous Courtroom 600 of the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg and marked a milestone in the development of international criminal law.
With the establishment of these tribunals, international criminal law took concrete form for the first time. The resulting ‘Nuremberg Principles’ later formed an essential basis for the drafts of the United Nations International Law Commission.1 This is why Nuremberg is a suitable location for a competition in international criminal law.
What makes the Nuremberg Moot Court so special?
It is not only the historical setting that makes the Nuremberg Moot Court so special, but also highly esteemed professionals in the field, such as judges, academics and other practitioners travel to Nuremberg to sit on the moot court panels.
How is the moot court related to FAU CHREN and human rights?
As a close cooperation partner of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, FAU CHREN provides members who participate in the competition as judges every year.
In addition to giving our members the opportunity to interact with young students from all over the world, international criminal law, which is at the heart of the moot court, is of great importance for (international) human rights. This year, FAU CHREN board member Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski was among the judges.
International criminal law serves as a mechanism at the international level to enforce human rights so that individuals can also be held accountable.2 It is intended to be an instrument to sanction the most serious human rights violations and prevent future ones.3 For example, in an armed war, human rights such as the right to life are suspended. By criminalizing certain acts, the core of human dignity is to be upheld.4 The protection of human rights is therefore the basis for international criminal law. International criminal law is at the heart of the Nuremberg Moot Court, and human rights are therefore also a fundamental part of the competition.
Footnotes and further informations