American University Washington College of Law Welcomes Nearly 100 Teams to 19th Annual Inter-American Moot Court Competition
Event Co-Sponsored by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC, May 8, 2014–The 19th Annual Inter-American Moot Court Competition will take place May 18-23 at American University Washington College of Law, presented by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and co-sponsored by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights.
The competition continues to draw large numbers, with a total of 99 participating teams from a record number of 27 different countries, involving more than 300 students, professors, and human rights professionals. The teams largely represent the Western Hemisphere, but the competition will also welcome teams from Angola, Belgium, Ethiopia, France, India, Nigeria, Russia, and Switzerland.
The competition will include more than 230 attorneys from around the world as judges for the written and oral portions, with nearly 200 expected to judge the oral rounds. The competition will also welcome 80 observers from the Americas and beyond. In all, the event will host upwards of 600 individuals. The conference portion of the event will begin on Sunday, May 18, with an opening reception and ceremony hosted by Claudia Martin and Diego Rodriguez Pinzon, co-directors of the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.
The honor panel will preside over the final round on Friday, May 23, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and will include several representatives from the Inter-American System and human rights community:
- Emilio Álvarez Icaza Longoria, author of hypothetical case; secretary executive, Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR)
- Breno Dias da Costa, interim representative, Brazilian Mission to the Organization of American States
- Robert Dinerstein, professor and associate dean for experiential education, American University Washington College of Law
- Alison A. Hillman, senior program officer, Human Rights Initiative, Open Society Foundations
- Maria Soledad Perez Tello, congresswoman of the Republic of Peru; human rights professor, Universidad de San Martín de Porres
- Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón, professor and co-director, Academy on Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law
- Eric Rosenthal, founder and executive director, Disability Rights International
- Stephen Vasciannie, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Jamaica to the United States of America; permanent representative of Jamaica to the Organization of American States
The hypothetical case this year, authored by Emilio Alvarez, executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), focuses on Persons with Disabilities and International Human Rights Law. The Competition will host a discussion with the author of the case on Friday, May 23 at 3:00 p.m. in room 601 at the law school.
The oral rounds of the competition are free and open to the public. Oral rounds will begin Monday morning, and will continue through Thursday afternoon. A complete schedule is available on the competition’s website.
Media inquiries can be directed to Megan Smith, (202) 274-4276.
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About American University Washington College of Law
In 1896, American University Washington College of Law became the first law school in the country founded by women. More than 100 years since its founding, this law school community is grounded in the values of equality, diversity, and intellectual rigor. The law school's nationally and internationally recognized programs (in clinical legal education, trial advocacy, international law, and intellectual property to name a few) and dedicated faculty provide its 1700 JD, LL.M., and SJD students with the critical skills and values to have an immediate impact as students and as graduates, in Washington, D.C. and around the world. For more information, visit wcl.american.edu