The Law School's Human Rights team represented the university by sending two teams to the tenth edition of the International Human Rights Competition held in the province of Mendoza. Both teams reached the semifinals, and one advanced to the final. In the 2025 edition, the hypothetical case for debate focused on the issue of "fake news" and state responsibility for the actions of private individuals.
The Human Rights Team of the Universidad Austral (Human Rights Team, HRT[Name of organization] participated in the 10th International Human Rights Competition CUYUM 2025, organized by the Faculty of Law of the National University of Cuyo, in Mendoza. Two groups represented the University, reaching the semifinals, and one group became a finalist.
The event, which took place between November 10 and 14, involved 14 teams made up of law students from different institutions in the Americas and Europe. The students competed in mock trials before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). In this year's edition, the hypothetical case to be debated was about “fake news"and state responsibility for the acts of private individuals."
During the competition, students receive a hypothetical case, are assigned a role (representing either the victims or the State), and must submit their written briefs a month in advance. Then, during an intensive week in Mendoza, they participate in oral hearings where they must defend their clients before a panel of judges. In the months leading up to the competition, they attend virtual classes provided by the organization to learn about the Inter-American System. The teams are evaluated on various aspects: public speaking, ability to answer questions, knowledge of the workings of the Inter-American Human Rights System, Court jurisprudence and legal doctrine, among other criteria.
“The Human Rights Team of the Law School of the Universidad Austral They did it again! Five students, a coach, and this privileged individual who accompanies them and shares his experience, had the opportunity to represent their university and, with two teams, reach the two semifinals of the CUYUM Competition and go on to compete in the most hard-fought final,” celebrated the professor and academic secretary of the Faculty of Law, Ignacio de Casas.
Camila Klappenbach, Dimas Bosch Dodero, Candelaria Valentini, Josefina Buratti and Zelmira Aberg Cobo The five UA students who participated in the competition were accompanied by of Houses y Lourdes Zuanich, like their coaches.
“HRT took two teams to the competition; both reached the semifinals, and one became a finalist. I want to congratulate my students, who represented us in the best possible way: in the team's debut year, they achieved two second-place finishes in the two competitions they participated in. None of this would have been possible without their effort, commitment, and dedication to human rights,” reflects the teacher and student coach. Zuanich.
In this 2025 edition, the European University of Madrid (Spain) won the title of champion of the CUYUM International Human Rights Competitions, after an exciting final against the UA.
According to the competition's official website, andThe Spanish team - made up of Kalieska Ximena Ravello Mori and Lucas Agustín Di Gregorio Giralt, along with his coach Ignacio G. Perotti Pinciroli– represented the victims in a fictional case of extreme legal complexity and human sensitivity. On the other side, the Argentinians Klappenbach y Bosch Dodero, along with their coaches de Houses y ZuanichThey defended the State's position with great strength and commitment.
