Palestine pleading competition

Previous editions

3rd edition: Sunday, April 17, 2011 :

For this 3rd edition, eight lawyers have pleaded on the Al-Quds University campus. The four French litigants were Mr. Balguy-Gallois (lawyer at the Paris Bar Association), Mrs. Lucas (lawyer at the Pau Bar Association), Mr. Sédillot (lawyer at the Rouen Bar Association) as well as Mrs. Souléliac (lawyer at the Paris Bar Association), and the four Palestinians Mrs. Abu Snaina, Mr. Abuarqoub, Mr. Rabai and Mrs. Salah. It can be noted that, out of the four Palestinian pleadings, three directly questioned the Palestinian Authority or its society.

 

The jury was composed of:

- Mr. Benoît Todié, cooperation and cultural action advisor in Jerusalem

- Mr. Ali Khashan, Minister of Justice of the Palestinian Authority

- Mr. Abdelghani Al Aiwaiwi, Attorney General

- Mr. Pascal Blanchetier, Deputy Mayor of Caen

- Mr. Alain Tourret, lawyer, president of the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace and Vice-President of the Lower-Normandy Region

- Mrs. Ariane Weben, lawyer and chairman of the Caen Bar Association of Caen

- Mr. Olivier Plançon, Deputy Consul General of Jerusalem

 

Among these eight lawyers who have all pleaded a case on a violation of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the most convincing was Mrs. Muna Abu Snaina. Her pleading on Chatha, a 14-year old Palestinian girl moved the jury. Accordingly, Mrs. Abu Snaina won the 3rd edition of the International Pleading Competition of Palestine.


 

2nd edition : Sunday, May 23, 2010 :

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On the agenda of the 2nd edition, 9 lawyers coming from very different backgrounds were present: Mr. Dupuy (lawyer at the Saintes Bar Association), Mr. Barthouil (lawyer at the Avignon Bar Association), Mr. Lehoux (lawyer at the Caen Bar Association), Mr. Ravanas (lawyer at the Paris Bar Association), Mr. Al Barghouti, Mr. Adaisse, Mr. Aurkan, Mr. Khalid-Gheet, and Mr. Shawawra, the last five coming from the Palestine Bar Association.

 

Alain Tourret, President of the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace, Frédéric Desagneaux, General Consul of France in Jerusalem and Sari Nusseibe, President of the University of Al-Quds, were Presidents of the jury for the 2010 edition.

 

The jury and the whole audience of the University of Al-Quds have considered the heartbreaking case of Nadi Shawawra as to be the most moving : the death of his wife and his 8-month old baby killed in their home by the Israeli Army during a military operation in Bethlehem. Since this day, Nadi Shawawra has been trying to obtain compensation.

 

 

1st edition : Sunday, May 31, 2009 :

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For its first experience abroad, the International Pleading Competition for Human Rights took place on May 31 2009 at the Palestinian University of Al-Quds, on the West Bank, a few kilometers away from Jerusalem.

 

The Palestinian, Belgian and French lawyers* who participated in the competition had the opportunity to discuss the universality of human rights in practical terms. Moreover, this competition aims at allowing Palestinian students to have an opening on to the world. Indeed, during the event, the competition tries to open up the Palestinian academic sphere. The pleadings which were presented during this first edition tackled different themes, such as female genital mutilations, albino children in Africa, the expulsion of a Roma camp in the Parisian suburbs, honor crimes, the eviction of a Bedouin tribe…

 

The French delegation, led by Mr. Philippe Duron and Mr. Alain Tourret, was welcomed by the General Consul of France, Mr. Alain Rémy before meeting with Sari Nusseibeh, President of the University of Al-Quds, Mohamed Zahdi Al-Nashashibi, former minister, and Mr. Moustapha Al-Qaq, judge from the Palestinian Supreme Court.

*The lawyers in competition for this first edition were: Banna Shougry-Badarne (Israel Bar Association, Palestine), Céline Verbrouck (Bruxelles Bar Association), Guy-Paul Kiele (Hauts de Seine Bar Association), Jamela Zead (Palestine Bar Association), Luna Orikat (Palestine Bar Association), Marie-Anne Soubre M’Barki (Val d’Oise Bar Association), Miran Arafat-Yaish (Palestine Bar Association), Richard Sédillot (Rouen Bar Association) et Xavier-Jean Keita (Val de Marne Bar Association).

 

Jamela Zead was the first winner, and thus the historic winner of this International Pleading Competition. Her pleading entitled “lost bullet, broken destiny", received the whole praise of the jury.

 

This jury was very moved by the tragic end of “Lina, 22, Suha, 19 and Nahed, 16, all three strangled by their brother after they had been accused by their family of having a suspicious behavior”. Mrs. Arafat-Yaish’s pleading denounced the wrath of “private justice”. She received the Prize of the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace.