WCL Sends First US Team to European Competition

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WCL Sends First US Team to European Competition

by Françoise Roth

During the last week of March, six students from the Washington College of Law (WCL) traveled to Strasbourg, France to compete, along with 200 students representing 48 universities from throughout Europe and Canada, in the Concours René Cassin Human Rights Competition. This year's competition marked the 10th anniversary of the event and the first time that a U.S. team has participated. The WCL team consisted of JD students Sharmilla Bagwe, Marcy Neal, Sergio Ramirez, and LL.M student Fernando Gonzalez-Martin, and was coached by LL.M student Claudia Martin and LL.M alumni Françoise Roth.

The Concours René Cassin competition, named for the French 1968 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was created in 1984 as the European counterpart to the American Jessup Moot Court Competition. It is the only moot court competition based on the European Convention of Human Rights, and in which participants write and argue in the French language.

Catherine Lalumière, General Secretary of the Council of Europe, stated, "the Concours contributes in a positive way to the advancement of the ideas and standards promoted and guaranteed by the Council of Europe." (unofficial translation from French).

Each team competes by writing two briefs, one for the government and one for the victim. The teams then meet in Strasbourg where they give two 45-minute oral arguments before a panel of lawyers and judges, including members of the European Court and the Commission of Human Rights.

This year's competition was based on the case of a religious minority resident of one fictitious country and citizen of another. The applicant was accused of terrorism by the country of residence while under a state of siege.

The WCL team competed against teams from Prague, Check Republic, and Lille, France. Alain Lamassoure, the French Minister of the Foreign Affairs, presided over the final round between the University of Vienna, and the winner, the University of Montreal.

For information about the Concours:
Contact Lionel Lidy, President of the Association Juris Ludi, 1 Quai Lezay Marnesia, 67000 Strasbourg/France, tel: 011/33 88 18 78, fax: 011/33 88 52 19 75.
The International Institute of Human Rights annually organizes a specialized study session in July with advanced courses on the international law of human rights. Information can be obtained from the International Institute of Human Rights, 1 Quai Lezay Marnesia, 67000 Strasbourg/France, tel: 011/33 88 18 78, fax: 011/33 88 52 19 75. Applications for this year's program are due May 31, 1994.

The WCL participants described the atmosphere of the competition as intense, but also convivial. "We all came from different languages and cultures, but maybe it was our common human rights interest that made everyone so close, so quickly," said Ramirez. The WCL students hope that they have began an annual tradition of WCL participation in the event.

Organized jointly by the Council of Europe, the Strasbourg School of Law and the International Institute of Human Rights, the Concours reputation has spread beyond European boundaries. In a message addressed to Professor Denys Simon, organizer of this year's event, UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali recognized the role the competition plays in the
promotion of human rights and encouraged its
extension to Third World countries.

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