In the framework of the Inter-University Cooperation Project, the University of Luxembourg is supporting curriculum development.
A 3-day seminar dedicated to Criminal Law was organised from 18th -20th July 2022 at the Faculty of Law and Political Science, in Vientiane. We had the pleasure to welcome for the first-time academics from Singapore. The seminar was led by Prof. Yeo Meng Heong from National University of Singapore with Prof. Chan Wing Cheong from Singapore Management University.
The seminar focused on Criminal Law and Criminal Justice using Comparative Law to analyse Lao Criminal Law making references to Singaporean, German and Thai Criminal Law. The Inter-University Project brought together Criminal Law lecturers from the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLP) of National University of Laos, the Faculty of Law and Administrative (FLA) of Champasak University, and from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) of Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet. 6 Practitioners – lawyers members of the Lao Bar Association, judges from Lao People’s Supreme Court, and prosecutors from the Lao Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor also attended the workshop.
Sessions were a combination of lectures and group discussions. Participants were provided with a handout prepared by Prof. Yeo Meng Heong and Prof. Chan Wing Cheong using a comparative legal method to analyse Criminal Law. The sessions focused on the elements of crime, standard offence of murder, as well as on participation, attempt and the defence/self-defence and insanity legitimation.
Participants discussed in groups many “hypotheticals” (small hypothetical legal cases to resolve) exploring provisions of the Penal Code of different countries. This allowed interactive discussions pointing at issues of legal certainty, actual meaning of certain provisions, pros and cons about the terminology used in Lao Law compared to other jurisdictions.
The participation of the lecturers of the Faculty of Law and Administrative of Champassak University and the National Institute of Justice was made possible with the financial support of the LuxDev Project LAO/031.