MDX Dubai Students Experience European Legal Institutions Firsthand on 6th Annual Strasbourg Study Trip

Students from Middlesex University Dubai and Middlesex University London recently visited the Council of Europe institutions and the European Union Parliament based in Strasbourg, France for the 6th Annual Strasbourg Study Trip. The students from the undergraduate and postgraduate Law and Politics programmes were accompanied by Dubai faculty members Dr Daphne Demetriou and Samantha Roberts, and London faculty members Alice Donald, Alessandra Michela De Tomasso, and Los Watkins. They had the honour to meet with Mr Christian Mommers, Advisor to the Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mr George Stafford, Secretary of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.

The trip provided an opportunity for students to engage with influential figures in the field of human rights. Among the highlights was an insightful session with three judges from the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Darian Pavli of Albania, Judge Katerina Šimáčková of the Czech Republic, and Judge Latif Huseynov of Azerbaijan. These judges shared their experiences, discussed their judicial roles, and some of the key issues the Court is currently addressing.

The trip also included a lunch at the home of the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, Sandy Moss, where students had the opportunity to hear about the UK’s efforts to uphold the COE’s human rights standards. The journey also included a tour of the European Parliament, the only directly elected EU body and one of the largest democratic assemblies in the world.

The annual study trip is a unique experiential learning opportunity, providing students at MDX with amazing insights into the workings of the Council of Europe institutions, whilst meeting and discussing with truly eminent professionals who are at the forefront of the promotion of human rights and the rule of law in Europe.