For the first time, a team from the University of Luxembourg is competing in the Monroe Price Media Law Moot Court Competition, hosted by the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights of the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford. This Moot Court aims to foster and cultivate interest in freedom of expression issues and the role of the media and information technologies in societies around the world.
This year’s moot court case focused on hate speech used on online platforms and the interplay between privacy and freedom of expression in the context of religious tensions between two communities.
This first team is composed mostly of students from the Master of Space, Communication and Media Law. Members include, Melanie Herrendbrandt, Tom Royer, Natalia Olechnowicz and Huang Yuanzhen. Coached by Angelica Fernandez, a PhD researcher, and under the supervision of Prof. Mark Cole, the team participated in the first Northern European Rounds hosted by the Faculty of Law of the University Paris Descartes from 4 to 6 February, 2020. Their written memorial was 1st runner up in this regional round, behind Oxford University which won for the best memorial.
The University of Luxembourg team also won 2 out of the 3 rounds they participated in. Losing to Humboldt University (the 1st runner up in the regional rounds), they beat out the University of Edinburgh and Carlos III University of Madrid to qualify for the selective International Rounds to be held in Oxford from the 30th March to the 3rd April 2020 where they will compete against teams from all over the world. Overall their performance was excellent and far exceeded first-time participation expectations.
We wish them luck for the next rounds!
Pictured: the moot court team (standing) with the judges (seated) during their final round.