High school students from the town of Idjevan, Tavush region of Armenia participated in simulated court proceedings.

The event was organized Saturday, June 28, by the non-governmental organization National Centre for Legal Researches (NCLR) with the support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan in co-operation with the Cassation Court.

“The initiative aims to raise awareness of the existing legislation and judicial procedures among high school students from Armenia’s regions,” said Radka Rubilina, Human Rights Programme Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

One group of the students acted as the defence and the other team as the prosecution in the criminal case hearings; the scenario was developed by NCLR experts on the basis of existing decisions of the Court of Cassation. A local judge chaired the moot court and ruled on the outcome of the case.

“This competition was both enjoyable and useful in terms of learning about our rights and how to apply those at the court,” said competition participant Maria Yengibaryan from Ijevan College.

Chairman of Criminal Chamber of Armenia’s Cassation Court, Davit Avetisyan said: “I welcome initiative to raise awareness on legal frameworks and court proceedings among young people at schools. Higher awareness is crucial for Armenia to consolidating the rule of law. I also admire the skills and talents of the young people who managed to enhance their knowledge and apply these in tight time frames.”

In preparation for the event, NCLR experts developed rules of procedure for the moot court competition covering such issues as opening of the moot court, duration of speeches, competences of the judge, and penalties for the violation of the rules. They also delivered an intensive two-week training course for participants to explain the case in detail.

As a result of this course, participants were able to analyze the facts, explain the relevant legislation and the specifics of its application to existing situations, learned about the case law and developed their judicial speaking skills. Prior to the competition, the students also had a chance to attend criminal case proceedings in order to get insight into a real trial.

The competition was followed by a discussion between students and judges on the case law of the Cassation Court.