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    October 27, 2022

    ABA ROLI Peru Hosts the Seventh National Interuniversity Oral Litigation Competition

    In October 2022, ABA ROLI Peru organized the final round of the VII National Interuniversity Oral Litigation Competition between teams from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and Universidad Nacional Hermilio Valdizán (UNHEVAL) from Huánuco. Facilitated under ABA ROLI’s Justice Sector Support Project (JSSP-2), the full competition ran from June 2022 to October 2022 with 199 teams from all over Peru participating, concluding with UNA VIS from PUCP as the overall competition champion. ABA ROLI worked with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to organize this competition. 

    The champion team members from UNA VIS are Omar Cesar Espinoza Marmolejo, Enrique Alberto Pimentel Palomino, and Diana Celinda Fustamante Sánchez; and the Kuskalla team members from UNHEVAL are Ana Xiomara Picón Príncipe, Dunga Isaias Ventura Doria, and Mayerlin Magdalena Doroteo Illatopa.

    ABA ROLI’s JSSP-2 project, which began in February 2022, aims to strengthen Peru’s law enforcement and judicial effectiveness; foster cooperation and coordination among Peru’s justice sector institutions to minimize transnational crime, and advance respect for human rights and access to justice for all citizens. The first phase of the project ran from 2016 to 2021, and it contributed significantly to strengthening the skills of justice system operators in investigating crimes under an adversarial system and in oral litigation during judicial proceedings. JSSP had a significant positive impact on the quality of justice services, including improving response times, access to information about the proceedings, quality of evidence obtained, clarity of judicial decisions, and access to justice in general. Another significant achievement of JSSP was a commitment by justice system institutions to engage more closely with civil society and to promote awareness of their duties and responsibilities among the population. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

    Teams competing during the Seventh National Interuniversity Oral Litigation Competition

    Teams competing during the Seventh National Interuniversity Oral Litigation Competition

    Peru, October 2022

    Twelve teams from all over Peru participated in the final stage of the competition, with the two best teams meeting in the National Final from October 13-14, 2022. The teams learned about the justice sector through the “Young Promises of Oral Litigation” Internship, which took place from October 10-12, 2022. The 36 students met with various authorities from the justice sector, including the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Félix Chero, the Attorney General, Patricia Benavides, and the President of the National Board of Justice, José Ávila. Additionally, the students met with the U.S. Embassy in Peru to learn about study opportunities in the United States. The final round of the competition took place in Lima at the Palace of Justice with renowned Judges in attendance.

    The UNA VIS champion team from PUCP will represent Peru in the International Oral Litigation Contest against the teams from Panama, Mexico and Argentina on October 26, 2022, and will participate in a study trip to the University of San Diego in the United States in December.

    Learn more about ABA ROLI’s work across Latin America and the Caribbean.