CYIL vol. 15 (2024)

MILAN LIPOVSKÝ

MOOT COURTS ON ISSUES OF PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW IN 2023/2024

Milan Lipovský*

Once again, it is my pleasure to inform the readers on the results of the participation by students of the Charles University in some of the moot court competitions concerning public international law that occurred in the previous academic year. There have, of course, been many other competitions taking place, but I would especially like to point out the following. The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (the Jessup) has become a stable opportunity for the students of the Faculty of Law of the Charles University to prove their skills in “mooting”. For over a decade already, I have had the honour of “coaching” the teams and witnessed their successes. Which is why I have been especially pleased that in 2024 of the Jessup, the Charles University team (student team members being Stanislav Kamenický, Aleš Kartusek, Adéla Matoušová, Vojtěch Růžička, and Kristýna Záhorová) won the Jessup European Friendly 1 rounds, a part of the Jessup dedicated for teams from jurisdictions with one participating team only. Though only available to teams from countries without national rounds, the “Friendlies” present a tough competition that serves also as a welcome preparation for the Jessup international rounds in Washington, D.C. The 2024 topics of the Jessup were the freedom of speech and statelessness, as well as the scope of the UN Security Council’s activities under Chapter VI of the UN Charter. In addition to the team’s other successes, in the international rounds’ preliminary stage, Kristýna Záhorová scored as the 35 th (out of 195) among oralists. I would also like to thank the Prague office of the White and Case for their generosity in sponsoring the Czech Jessup teams. Another competition that the Charles University student teams participate in, and regularly successfully score, is the FDI Moot Court focusing on issues of international investment arbitration. The Charles University team consisted of Jan Dunděra, Alice Nováková, Lada Reisnerová, Martin Rožka, Antonín Stehno, and Johana Žižáková, with Nikola Kurková Klímová coaching. The moot court concerned a dispute between a foreign investor, the Delorean Technologies, and a fictitious state, the Republic of Martineek, regarding economic sanctions on the investment activities. The rounds concerned issues of resignation of the legal representatives for ethical reasons, legality of the investment itself, its expropriation, and subsequent compensation. The final rounds took place in Lucknow, India, and the Charles University team’s members Martin Rožek and Jan Dunděra were awarded 1 st and 2 nd place (out of hundreds) in oralists ranking. In overall team ranking, the team was awarded with 6 th position (out of 148) and the written submission scored among the 10 best. The freedom of expression and prohibition of discrimination were the topics of the Helga Pedersen Moot Court Competition that the Charles University team, consisting of Georgia Hejduková, Ema Slováková, Kristýna Sýkorová, and Johana Vrbová, with Alla Tymofeyeva coaching, participated in. The competition simulates proceedings in front of the European * JUDr. Milan Lipovský, Ph.D . is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, Charles University (Prague). 1 https://jessupeuropefriendly.com/2024-2/.

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