INTERNATIONAL
Rotterdam 2023
WHLS success in Rotterdam O
n 15th and 16th September the FBE Young Lawyers Human Rights Oratory Competition 2023 was held in Rotterdam, hosted by the Rotterdam Bar. Twenty contestants from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Bilbao, Madrid, Verona, Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk, Geneva, and London gave presentations on the topic “Women’s human rights in the world today” The jury composed of five judges came from Paris, Poznan, Bilbao, Antwerp and London, and after hearing the presentations all day on Day One, selected four contestants to go through to the final next day. The final four included the two contestants from Westminster & Holborn Law Society, Siri Suhageini, and Nizar Cano, both students from Kings College, and volunteers in the Legal Advice Clinic. They had come out among the top four of the twenty contestants. Following the presentations on Day One the jury and contestants were invited to a meeting with the Rotterdam Bar in top law firm Loyens & Loeff. A speaker from Lawyers for Lawyers introduced the President of the Belarus Association of Human Rights Lawyers (BAHRL) who spoke about the situation
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of lawyers in Belarus where six lawyers are in prison, many have had their licences taken away and many are in exile. The meeting was joined on line by Belarus lawyers in exile, who spoke about the failure of the Belarus Bar Association to protect the independence of their members. Following the meeting the judges and contestants joined the Rotterdam Bar in a dinner in a famous restaurant, where the announcement of the result of the presentations was made. On Day two the finalists had to arrive at 9.00am and had two hours to prepare to debate the topic unseen, with their laptops for research. The topic was:”Should any state regulate sex workers?” The four finalists were divided into two pairs, and in each pair, one contestant was for the proposition and one was against. They debated in front of the other contestants, members of the Rotterdam Bar and visitors. It was a tense moment when the result of the debate was announced: First prize went to a lawyer from Gdansk, second to Siri Suhageini, and third to Nizar Cano. It was a great result for Westminster & Holborn Law Society. Any law students, trainees and NQs are welcome to join the quarter finals next year. Westminster & Holborn Law Society, JLD members are particularly welcome.
Professor Sara Chandler KC(Hon) WHLS International Committee
