Topics
India V. Pakistan, Bolivia V. Chile, Croatia v. Serbia, and Nicaragua v. United States of America
Committee Type
Court
Committee Size
Small
Committee Description
Delegates in the International Court of Justice serve as either the prosecution or defense for their team’s case. Delegates will also participate in a jury, asking questions and deliberating the cases they are not representing. Delegates will be grouped into teams of four by delegation, and will work together to research their case, develop their arguments, and write a case brief, a legal document with a written argument submitted to the court. The research and brief will serve as a tool for the team to use to organize their arguments and win the jury’s votes.
Topic Intros
India V. Pakistan
India filed a case against Pakistan who had violated provisions concerning detention and trial outlined in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations under Article 36. This case was brought forward regarding Indian national Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court. India claimed that Pakistan never notified them of his arrest, denied consular access, and gave no legal representation to Jadhav.
Bolivia V. Chile
In 2013 Bolivia brought a case forward against Chile, who had taken Bolivia’s coast, on the grounds of Chile refusing to comply with their alleged obligation to negotiate in good faith with Bolivia in order to provide Bolivia their own access to the pacific ocean.
Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia)
On July 2nd, 1999, the Republic of Croatia filed a case to the International Court of Justice against Federal Republic of Yugoslavia– which at that time consisted of Serbia and Montenegro– for alleged violations of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide during the Croatian War of Independence.
Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America)
On April 9th, 1984 Nicaragua filed a case against the United States to the International Court of Justice, alleging that the U.S. had violated international law by supporting military and paramilitary activities against the Nicaraguan government. Specifically, Nicaragua accused the U.S. of funding, training, equipping, and directing the Contras– a rebel group seeking to overthrow the Nicaraguan Sandinista government.
