INDONESIAN LAW STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BEAT THEIR CONTENDERS IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Law students of the University of Indonesia (UI) and Parahyangan University will represent Indonesia in an international court competition in March in the United States.

They were the winning teams of a three-day national round moot court contest after eliminating other law undergraduates in the 2008 Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Jakarta.

The victory qualified the UI and Parahyangan students for the championship in March and April in Washington D.C., where they will face off with contenders from countries worldwide.  

The event was the 7th competition, which was jointly held by the Indonesian Society for International Law and the Constitutional Court. Participants said the contest, held at the Constitutional Court building, proved the ability of Indonesian students to partake in international law events.

Twenty teams from state and private universities across the country took part in the Competition. They are University of Airlangga, University of Andalas, Atma Jaya University, Bhayangkara University, Borodbodur University, University of Brawijaya, University of De La Salle Indonesia, University of Hasanuddin, Islamic University of Indonesia, University of Mando, University of Padjajaran, Parahyangan University, Tarumanegara University, Trisakti University, Al Azhar University of Indonesia, University of Indonesia, International University of Batam, University of Pelita Harapan, North Sumatera University, University of Surabaya.

This event was also presented by forty-eight Indonesian law expertise from various legal fields, such as justice, academician, lawyer either from national or international.

Gary F. Bell, one of the law experts who judged the final trial, said Indonesian students showed world-class knowledge of international laws. The other judges, Mr. Nobuo Hayashi (prosecutor of International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia) and Mr. Anees Ahmed (prosecutor at Criminal Tribunal of Cambodia for Khmer Rouge), showed their positive impression to the development of Indonesian legal scholar in the future.

Hikmahanto Juwana, a UI law expert who also attended the event, said the competition was an excellent platform for Indonesian lawyers to prepare themselves for international trials. Moreover, Prof. Jimly Asshiddiqie, the Chief Justice of Indonesian Constitutional Court, very awed with the aptitude of participants in dealing with procedures of International Court. He said that the participants have reached the professional stage like a real International Lawyer.

As a winner, University of Indonesia gets Mochtar Kusuma Atmaja Award provided by the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, the best oralist final round falls to Edwina Kharisma and Fitria Chairani from University of Indonesia as well. They deserve to get scholarship for LL.M Programme from National University of Singapore (NUS).

Let’s pray that our delegates can bring the trophy from forthcoming International Court Competition in Washington D.C. to our beloved homeland, the Republic of Indonesia.

 The full list of the winners are in the following: