Introduction of the “Jean Pictet” Competition on International Humanitarian Law (2001)
 

The Department of International Law sent a team of students to the “Jean Pictet” Competition of International Humanitarian Law also in the year of 2001 after a tradition of 5 years. The Jean Pictet Competition is organized with support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and its aim is to show how to enforce the law of war through a fictive legal case. The participating teams have to prove in cases close to reality that they know the rules of International Humanitarian Law and related to norms of International Law and that they can even use them in situations of crises.

The competition of 2001 occurred to Laprugne, 40 kms far from Vichy in France. The team of our University answered in written form the questions posed by the organizers in the field of International Humanitarian Law in autumn of 2000 and in this way they got right to participate the competition. Beyond them the students of the following states participated this competition: 

Argentina: University of Buenos Aires

Belgium: Université Libre de Bruxelles

Canada: Université de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, Université d’Ottawa

Congo: Université Marien N’Gouabi

United States of America: Santa Clara University, US Air Force Academy

France: École spéciale militaire de St-Cyr, Université d’Aix-Marseille 3, Université d’Auvergne, Université de Caen, Université de Rouen Mont-St-Aignan, Université Jean Monnet Paris-Sud 11, Université Jean-Moulin Lyon 3, Université Panthéon Assas Paris 2

Morocco: Univeristé Hassan 2

Democratic Republic of Congo: Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs

Czech Republic: Károly University

Senegal: Université Cheikh Anta Diop

Switzerland: Université de Fribourg, Université de Neuchatel

Tunisia: Université Tunis 3

Turkey: University of Marmara

On 11^th February of 2001 the teams listened to lectures about International Humanitarian Law and then the rounds of the competition occurred from 12^th to 16^th. The participants had to represent their official position at an “international conference” at the first time and to suggest variations for modification of a document to create. After that “bilateral meetings” occurred before the commissions of the jury at which the competitors had to play a role of representatives of different parties. The task was more difficult as the roles to play changed even more times a day. The finale was organized on 17^th February and the winners were the Belgian Université Libre de Bruxelles and the French Université Panthéon Assas Paris 2.

 

Representatives of our University (from left to the right):

Orsolya Garamvölgyi (J-406), Andrea Princz (J-507) and Eszter Zselinszky (J-507) had good results even among the students whose mother tongue was French. They answered the legal questions and solved the problematic situations well in most of the cases. The competition played a dominant role in their French studies and in the development of their knowledge in the field of International Humanitarian Law (and not only the competition but the preparation which they began months before the journey). The participation at the competition was useful and successful both for them and our University.

                                                                                                                   Csaba Pákozdy