AUAF Law Students Secure Second Place in Middle-East Moot Court Competition
February 16, 2017
In a historic finish, a team of American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) law students placed 2nd out of 17 universities from 11 countries in this year’s 7th Annual Middle-East Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
This year’s regional Vis competition was held February 7-11 at Kuwait International Law School. Participating teams included universities from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and UAE.
The competition promotes the study of international commercial arbitration through the preparation and presentation of written and oral arguments by teams of students from universities across the world.
AUAF is the only Afghan university to have qualified for this major international moot court competition every single year since the competition opened to Afghanistan three years ago. Moreover, AUAF has been the only Afghan team advancing to the final stages of this competition.
This year’s team consisted of six law students – Gharsanay Amin, Munira Aziz, Sadaf Baseer, Abdul Ameer Faheem, Niyaz Mohammad Nickkhah, Samiullah Sharifi – along with student coach Sirat Khalid Haidari and faculty coach Mehdi Hakimi.
The team’s success did not come easily. Following the recent terrorist attack on the institution and subsequent campus closure, the team was forced to hold meetings and practice moot sessions in various corners of Kabul ranging from students’ homes to restaurants promising wifi connection. In addition to lack of access to campus and research resources, power outages and shoddy internet connections plagued each online session. Moreover, despite tremendous risks, some team members travelled every week from their home province to Kabul, to attend the weekly practice moot session. The AUAF team received the Spirit of the Competition Award.
AUAF’s success in the Vis moot competition has been unprecedented for Afghan universities competing in major international moot court competitions. Last year, the AUAF Vis moot team made history in both the regional and international rounds. The regional competition in Bahrain featured 13 teams from universities across 8 countries. AUAF turned in strong team and individual performances, placing 3rd overall with law student Fayez Sahak landing the Best Oralist Prize. In the international rounds in Hong Kong, out of the 115 universities competing in the competition, AUAF was among the top 36 teams advancing to the elimination rounds. Moreover, AUAF was among the top 4 teams reaching the semi-finals of the Pan-Asian Division. Law student Sirat Haidari earned the distinction of ranking 11th out of the 220 participating oralists. The Vis community and tournament organizers praised AUAF’s performance as “one of the most extraordinary achievements in the history of the Vis moot”.
This year’s Vis moot team is continuing the university’s tradition of success in international moot court competitions. Following the runner-up finish in the regional competition, the team will travel to Hong Kong in late March to compete in the international rounds.
About ALEP: Founded in 2007, the Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP) at Stanford Law School develops innovative legal curricula to help Afghanistan’s universities train the next generation of lawyers and leaders. ALEP is one of the projects under Stanford Law School’s Rule of Law Program. For more on ALEP, see: https://law.stanford.edu/alep
About Rule of Law Program: Established in 1999, the Stanford Law School’s Rule of Law Program is the University’s vehicle for promoting the study and practice of international rule of law and development. The program serves as the scholastic and administrative umbrella for Rule of Law Projects in various countries. For more on the program, see: https://law.stanford.edu/rule-of-law-program/