On 18-19 November 2023, Free University of Tbilisi with USAID Rule of Law Program support, conducted a Moot Court Competition in Human Rights Law.

The competition was held on the premises of Free University of Tbilisi. The topic of the competition was Right to Hold a Public Position.

Forty-six teams from nine Georgian universities registered to participate in the competition. Nineteen teams submitted written assignments. Eight main and one reserve team from four Georgian Universities (including one regional university) were selected to participated in the competition based on the evaluation of their written submissions.

Prior to the competition, on November 12, 2023, Giorgi Beraia, a visiting lecturer of Free University Tbilisi conducted a training for nine teams from the following universities: Free University of Tbilisi (3), Tbilisi State University (3), International Black Sea University (2) and Akaki Tsereteli State University (1) from Kutaisi.

During the training, he discussed the decisions and practice of the Constitutional Court of Georgia, the European Court of Human Rights and the US Supreme Court and spoke about the legal basis for restricting rights. He also answered the questions asked by the students.

Preliminary rounds, held on November 18, were composed of 2 judges for each panel. After each round of the competition judges gave detailed assessment to the participating teams. 4 teams (3 from Free University of Tbilisi and 1 from International Black Sea University) reached the semifinal rounds based on their scores. Semifinals and final competition were held on November 19. 2 teams from Free University of Tbilisi competed in the final round of the competition.

The winner of the competition became the team with the following composition: Valeri Sidamonidze, Saba Sarjveladze, Aleksandre Mikeladze and Giorgi Nebunishvili. Second place was taken by the team whose members were Amina Khangoshvili, Nino Shvelidze, Barbare Beridze and Ia Grdzelidze. Valeri Sidamonidze, a member of the winning team, won the status of the Best Speaker.

Valeri Sidamonidze, a winning team member, summed up his feelings about the competition saying,  “Participating in this moot court was very interesting for me, it brought experience, in the process of writing a constitutional claim, and later, at the stage of simulated processes, I got to know the practice of the Constitutional Court in more detail and studied various tactics and mechanisms for the protection of constitutional rights, which will undoubtedly help me in my professional activities in the future.