Amity’s Moot Problem Touches Interesting Areas Of Law

A fictional land and issues of sovereignty, jurisdiction, admissibility, genocide and crimes against humanity form the basic premise of the moot problem of the Amity International Moot.

The State of Black Land has been one of the most prominent states in the Middle East. A constitutional monarchy since birth, Black Land has been in the hand of the Targareyans since 1970.

The population of Black Land has been divided into two communities-the Old Gods Faith and the Firos Faith. The common belief goes that the Old Gods Faith is intrinsic to Black Land, having been born in temples of the old gods, while the Firos found prominence recently with it’s roots being only two hundred years old. Led by the reformist leader FIR-RA, the Firospublish a document titled the World under his light, in which a specific Article 21 states: And to cleanse this unholy world marred by several sins let the blood spill of those who have become corrupt and feed this good earth that red wine and quench her thirst.

Over the course of time the government is at loggerheads with the Firos community, which eventually leads to the Firos withdrawing their support from the government in power. The tiff worsens with two incidents. First, the government to restore law calls in the paramilitary forces and disrupts a mass procession of the Firos. Moreover, some people report incidents of abduction, abuse and even murder.

The second incident adds to the social unrest where a temple belonging to the Old Gods faith catches fire and later a man in possession of sophisticated arms and ammunitions bearing the sigil of the Firos is also caught.

Reaching the brink of their dispute with the government, the Firos declare themselves independent of Black Land and name their newly formed “sovereign” state White Land. Alongside, cases are filed with the ICC against the Targareyan leader and the reformist leader of the Firos, the FIR-RA.

However, the point of contention lies in the fact that Black Land is a signatory of the Rome Statute and is thus under the jurisdiction of the ICC but the same cannot be said about the White Land. Apart from  White Land not being a signatory of the Rome Statute, the State of Black Land also denies and rejects the territorial claims made by White Land.

The moot problem thus tackles with the intriguing debate of jurisdiction and admissibility. Is the case of Black Land and White Land admissible in ICC and what is the extent to which the ICC’s jurisdiction would lay in the matter.