The University of Luxembourg’s team delivered an award-winning performance at the 2025 edition of the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition (ICC Moot Court), held in The Hague, Netherlands, from 11 to 18 June. Widely regarded as the most prestigious moot court in the field of international criminal law, the competition brought together 88 teams from 45 countries.
The University’s team — Chloé M. Antunes, Mélissa Teixeira da Silva, and Vadim Cebotari, students in the Master in European Economic and Financial Criminal Law — was expertly coached by Bruno Biazatti, a Doctoral researcher at the Luxembourg Centre for European Law at the University of Luxembourg.
The ICC Moot Court offers participants a unique and demanding educational experience by simulating proceedings before the International Criminal Court, based on a fictional case. Teams argue from the perspective of the Prosecution, the Legal Representative of the Victims, and the Defense Counsel. This year’s case addressed three complex legal issues: the nationality of the accused as a basis for the ICC’s jurisdiction; the legal definition of gender apartheid and its potential prosecution under the Rome Statute; the criminal liability for publishing the identity of confidential witnesses online.
The University of Luxembourg ICC Moot Court team not only ranked among the top 27 teams to advance to the quarter-finals but also received two prestigious awards: Best Prosecution Memorial and Second Runner-Up Best Defense Counsel Memorial. These results mark a significant milestone in the University’s participation in the ICC Moot Court Competition.
Warm congratulations to the team on their outstanding performance!
We extend our sincere gratitude to the colleagues and professors at the University of Luxembourg, as well as to the team’s Moot Court Programme partner, Clifford Chance, for their invaluable support, which contributed to this success.