On December 14-16, 2018 the regional round of the Price Media Law Moot Court Competition took place in Kyiv. This competiton was conducted for the third time by CEDEM in association with Oxford University, National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” and Kyiv-Mohyla Moot Court Society.
During competitions simulating progress of proceeding students from four countries – which are Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus initially has prepared written arguments and then has submitted them on the stands. As a topic of this year competitions was restrictions to free speech in Internet and spread of misinformation during election process. Best teams of regional round got right to participate in competitions final in Oxford at spring 2019.
The contemporary regional round of the Price Media Law Moot Court Competition was won by a team of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. At the same time, opportunity to go to Oxford was also received by the teams of Belarus University (took second place), Latvian University (semi-finalists, best written stand) and National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” (semi-finalists, while team member Tetiana Avdiyeva was the best lecturer among all teams is). Traditionally, CEDEM will provide financing support of journey to Oxford for most strong Ukrainian team.
The judiciary of competitions consisted of notable media law experts. Among them were Taras Shevchenko, director of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law, co-chairman of RPR Board, Tetiana Oleksiyuk, the lawyer, media expert, co-founder of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law; Igor Rozkladay, the leading expert in media right, attorney and co-founder of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law; Paolo Cavaliere, the lecturer of law faculty in Edinburgh University; Atsuko Sekiguchi, the lawyer at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan; Jerjey Skrdzipchak, professor, political studies and journalism faculty, Adam Mickiewicz University; Sergiy Petukhov, the deputy of Minister of Justice of Ukraine on European integration issues; representatives of most famous juridical companies as well as leading experts in media and human rights advocates.
Alina Pravdychenko, head of Media Law department of the CEDEM, has emphasized the importance of moot courts competition: “Media law field don`t rest on laurels. Day by day the new technologies of information dissemination appear and at once new challenges. Moot court is not only great opportunity for students to enhance their practical skills but also wonderful site for communication with leading experts in the field of media, setting up of professional connections, discussing of most notable problems in modern media field, exchange of experience and getting new knowledge.”
Kateryna Kulyna, lawyer of Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law and the arbiter of moot court has noted that participation in the competition is a great opportunity for students to feel the sting of a real lawyer for some time: “It is a short but a very rich period which demands successful combination of professional skills, in particular to be concentrated and convictive despite of tire and agitation. I consider that each attorney has to go over such school”, – she summarized.
Event was organized with the assistance of the Council of Europe project “Strengthening Freedom of Media and Establishing a Public Broadcasting System in Ukraine” implemented within the scope of 2018-2021 Plan of Actions of the Council of Europe.
This event became possible due to financial support of Sweden.