Leiden University wins Frits Kalshoven International Humanitarian Law Competition 2026
The Frits Kalshoven International Humanitarian Law Competition, organised annually by the Netherlands Red Cross and Belgian Red Cross-Flanders, provides an opportunity for students to engage in-depth with the legal framework governing conduct during armed conflict. The team from Leiden University won the competition.
The theme of the 19th edition of the competition, hosted in the Hague on 23–27 February 2026, was ‘protection of civilians in armed conflict’, a core objective of international humanitarian law (IHL), and the object and purpose of Geneva Convention IV of 1949. Participants’ understanding of the binding rules that protect civilians in times of armed conflict was tested in role play scenarios, in which the students had to act, for example, as representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, or as legal advisers to armed forces.
In addition, participants prepared their pleadings for a Moot Court case during the competition week. The fictitious case covered the topics of protection of civilian infrastructure from attack, civilian use of mobile phone applications to support intelligence gathering by armed forces, and the internment of civilians during occupation and their transfer out of occupied territory. The team representing Leiden University faced the team from Ghent University in the finals of the Moot Court, and was ultimately pronounced the winner of the competition, having convinced the judges with excellent understanding of the law and creative legal reasoning.
Leiden University was represented by Lara Wertheim, Milena de Roode, and Anna Minwegen, who are currently enrolled in LL.M. programmes (reg. and adv.) in Public International Law. During the competition week, the students not only proved their ability to apply IHL in practical scenarios, but also had the opportunity to engage with IHL practitioners, to attend expert IHL lectures, and to connect with participants representing eight universities from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Students prepared for the competition over the course of four months, by attending seminars and guest lectures on IHL, extensive self-study, and by practicing moot court pleadings and role play simulations. Johanna Trittenbach, PhD candidate at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, coached the team.
Congratulations to the Leiden team on this great achievement!