Aguascalientes, Ags., October 31, 2024.— Students from the Law School at the Universidad Panamericana, Aguascalientes campus were crowned two-time champions in the 27th Eduardo Jiménez de Aréchaga Competition (CEJA), one of the most important human rights at the international level.
This competition, held annually in San José, Costa Rica, since 1995, consists of a mock trial of a case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, with the participation of teams made up of students from universities throughout Latin America, in a process that includes both oral and written presentations of arguments. The case typically addresses a current issue within the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights. This event is organized by the Costa Rican Association of International Law (ACODI).
“We congratulate our students Erika Montserrat Sevilla, Kaisa Yamile Orozco, Heriberto Flores, Fernando Cortés, and Alejandro González Caudel, as well as their coaches, Sofía Cuellar and Alenka Salazar—both alumni of this university—on their victory and second consecutive championship. Special recognition goes to Heriberto Flores Esparza for winning the award for best speaker in the final round,”, said José Paulo Bassol, M.A., dean of the School of Law.
This year's case covered topics such as intelligence activities and the right to privacy; the prohibition of discrimination and freedom of expression; the involvement of the armed forces in public safety operations; and judicial safeguards and judicial protection in cases involving freedom of expression.
It was prepared by Pablo González Domínguez and Astrid Orjuela Ruiz, both attorneys at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Dr. González Domínguez is also an alumnus of the Law School at the Universidad Panamericana , Aguascalientes campus.
As part of their preparation, the Pan-American representative team studied the same case continuously for ten months. “Although we divided up which parts to read and study, it wasn’t the work of just one person—there’s no way it could have worked individually—so working as a team allowed us to succeed; knowing that you can count on your team is something very valuable in your professional life,”, Kaisa noted.
“We had to resolve a hypothetical case involving certain disputes over violated rights. For that case, we drafted briefs representing both the victims’ and the state’s positions, and based on those briefs, we prepared our arguments for the hearings—and that’s what we presented at the competition in Costa Rica,”, said Fernando.
For his part, Heriberto emphasized that his participation in the competition has greatly influenced his perspective on human rights, since, in his view, public international law can bring about change, and he firmly believes that rulings by bodies such as the Inter-American Court can lead to changes in people’s lives and in countries’ legal systems.
“Winning has been a personal achievement that has shown me that, with perseverance and discipline, anything is possible. However, it is, above all, a team victory that would not have been possible without every member of the team, the university’s backing, and the invaluable support of our coaches,”, she added.
“Since last year, CEJA has shown me the direction I want my career to take, and this year I confirmed that. It also made me realize the importance of fighting for human rights—and doing so not only through my work as a lawyer”, Erika shared.
For the students at the Universidad Panamericana , one of the most important lessons they learned from this competition was the strong synergy they were able to build as a team.
