As a law student, mastering national law is one of many skills that must be mastered because understanding international law is also essential. This was later proven by a delegation from the Faculty of Law, Universitas Airlangga (FH UNAIR), when they received the title of Third Runner Up and Best Prosecutor Memorials at the 17th Indonesian Round of International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition 2022 (IHL MCC). This achievement was not the first to be won because last year, UNAIR FH delegation also won the title of First Runner Up in a similar event.

The competition will occur from 5 – 20 November 2022 at the Faculty of Law, Airlangga University, as the host university. The delegation that succeeded in achieving this achievement consisted of Auralia Rizki Putri (2020) as head of the delegation, Alyssa Febyana M. (2020), Delfi Nilarosa (2021), and Arofta (2021). Through an interview, Alyssa as the representative of the delegation explained that IHL MCC was still the same as in previous years, which discussed international humanitarian law and was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). However, the process of handling cases at the International Criminal Court is different from previous years, which only convicts individuals.

Preparation begins with the selection of delegates through paper and oral selection submissions. Prospective delegates are tested on their writing and public speaking skills to be truly able to produce and convey arguments well. After the delegation is formed, it takes approximately four months to prepare files and practice in this competition. At the memorial submission stage, Alyssa explained that her team had to do detailed research and diligently carry out regular reviews by checking formatting and other things. They also got help from fellow FH UNAIR coaches, namely Michael Christian, Laila Maghfira, and Axel Cross from class 2019 and Arya Raditya from class 2020. The pleading practice was carried out intensively for one month with the help of senior Yosua Iskandar from the Class of 2018 alumni.

The delegation often faced various difficulties during the preparation, which came from pressure on oneself. However, these difficulties were successfully overcome thanks to multiple parties’ help. “For other difficulties, as usual, difficulties in the time management section because we have to sacrifice sleep time and playing time, but I have never regretted it because the results will not betray the effort,” said Alyssa.

In closing, he then conveyed his impressions, messages, and tips while participating in the IHL MCC 2022 competition. “Because UNAIR Faculty of Law is also the Host University this year, so during the pleading, we as delegates try to pretend we don’t know the committee who are (friends) UNAIR FH students themselves. That was quite funny because the competition was also held offline,” said Alyssa. He also suggested deepening research and increasing discussions with team members. “And most importantly, don’t underestimate the formatting in making a memorial because there is a penalty,” he said at the end of the opportunity.