Every year, a mock trial is held in The Hague, the Netherlands, at the UN International Court of Justice, the main judicial organ of the Organization, involving groups of students from universities in various European countries.

The annual inter-university Telders International Law Moot Court Competition is organised by Leiden University and the Grotius Center for International Legal Studies. The final phase of the competition is held at the International Court of Justice in The Hague but as the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic dictated, this year’s mock trial was held online for the first time from 8 June to 12 June 2021. The Virtual Trial 2021 involved 30 teams of undergraduate and postgraduate students, including universities in England, Germany, France and Russia.

The Faculty of Law of the University of Thrace has participated in this competition continuously since 1986 with a group of four students, selected and prepared by the faculty members of the Department of International Studies. Participation in the above competition gives the participating students the opportunity to delve deeper into specific issues of public international law, which are of concern in contemporary practice.
The team that represented Greece and the Law School of the Democritus University of Thrace in the international Telders 2021 International Law Virtual Trial Competition won 1st place in the final of the oral procedure and the Competition Trophy, 1st place in the general classification (written and oral procedure) and was awarded the Max Huber Final Round Winner Award.

This year’s team consisted of Dionisia Vanikiotis, Evangelos-Ioannis Arapis, fourth year students and Michael Moschos, third year student. The members of the group had the opportunity to speak before eminent judges of international jurisdictions and international scholars including Liesbeth Lijnzaad, Philippe Sands and Alain Pellet.

The coaches of the team were Angelos Moschos-Paipetis, Chrysanthi Koloka and Despina Hatzopoulou, who participated in the mock trial in previous years. Graduate students Chrysanthi Koloka and Despina Hatzopoulou, as members of the 2018 team at the University of Thessaloniki, had also won the Max Huber Best Overall Score Award. Other graduates or students of the Law Department, such as Ioannis Chondropoulos and Georgios Grammatopoulos, also provided significant assistance.

The general responsibility for the organization and preparation of the participation in the mock trial has been held since 1996 by Associate Professor of International Studies Mr. Konstantinos Antonopoulos.