Team Two along with Judge of the competition, Neville Bissember (Right).
Team Two, comprising Kissean Skeete, Jagnanand Jailal, and Svetlana Douglas, emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins with just 0.1 points during the finals of Moot Court Guyana’s annual debate competition held earlier today at the Law Building of the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus.
In a fiercely contested final, Team Two faced off against Team Six, represented by Shamar Sukhu, Shanti Chunilall, and Anelia Bacchus. The teams debated the timely and critical moot: “Israel’s retaliation against Hamas since October 7th, 2023, cannot be described as self-defense under International Law.”
Second place winner (Team Six) along with Judge of the competition, Joshua Benn.
The esteemed panel of judges tasked with this difficult decision included Attorneys-at-Law Joshua Benn and Rea Harris, along with University of Guyana Law Department lecturer Neville Bissember. Following intense deliberation, Mr. Bissember shared how challenging it was to declare a winner, given the high caliber of presentations from both teams.
Judge of the competition, Neville Bissember addressing the gathering.
“The proposition, Team Two, scored 24.03, while the opposition, Team Six, scored 24.02. You can see how incredibly close this was, and it speaks to the standard of debate presented today,” Mr. Bissember noted before announcing the final result.
In addition to the team victory, Team Two also earned the award for Best Rebuttal, while Anelia Bacchus from Team Six was recognized as Best Advocate. All participants from the eight teams that competed in the preliminary round received certificates for their outstanding efforts, including the finalists.
Winner of Best Rebuttle, Anelia Bacchus (Left) and Master of Moot Court Guyana, Keshun Wright (Right).
Mistress of Moot Court Guyana, Shenay Baksh, congratulated both teams on their tremendous achievement, emphasizing the significance of reaching the finals in such a prestigious competition.
The Moot Court Guyana’s annual debate competition, which began on October 1, saw participation from eight teams, with the top two advancing to the finals. During the preliminary rounds, John Applewhite Hercules was awarded the title of Best Speaker.
John Applewhite Hercules – Best Speaker during the preliminaries.
