The event, hosted by ASBU, was held in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent Society and ICIL and with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The programme consisted of introductory courses in humanitarian law and a moot court competition in which students applied their theoretical knowledge in practice.
Open to law students from universities across the country, the event sought to raise awareness and deepen expertise in the field of humanitarian law.
Instructors:
Prof. Dr. Gökhan Güneysu (Anadolu University)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adem Özer (Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University)
Dr. Onur Dur (ASBU)
Dr. Elif Gökşen (Bilkent University)
Dr. Firdes Şeyda Kahraman (Çankırı Karatekin University)
The opening addresses were delivered, in order, by Onur Dur, by Ayşe Nur Mutlu, Director of the Turkish Red Crescent Academy, by Mustafa Tutkun, Director General of the Turkish Red Crescent Governance Office, and by Prof. Dr. Musa Kazım Arıcan, Rector of ASBU:
Dr. Onur Dur (Lecturer, ASBU)
"Today we are launching an important programme in which our young lawyers will develop their awareness of international humanitarian law. Throughout the training and the competition our students are expected to translate their theoretical knowledge into practice. As ASBU, we shall continue to support, through events of this kind, the meeting of law with conscience and wisdom."
Ayşe Nur Mutlu (Director, Turkish Red Crescent Academy)
"At the Turkish Red Crescent Academy we attach great importance to humanitarian law being understood and applied by all stakeholders. This event will enable students to gain awareness of human rights and international law. Our foremost aim is that our young people should develop a sense of social responsibility alongside scientific knowledge."
Mustafa Tutkun (Director General, Turkish Red Crescent Governance Office)
"Humanitarian law must not be confined to statutes alone; it must be reinforced by conscience and ethical values. This programme will serve to increase Türkiye’s capacity in the field of international law. It is of great importance that participants pass on the knowledge they have acquired to society and to the future."
Prof. Dr. Musa Kazım Arıcan, Rector of our university, emphasised that humanitarian law is not merely a modern concept but a universal language of conscience that Turkish-Islamic civilisation has built upon for centuries. 
He recalled that, according to this long tradition, the human being is the most precious thing to be protected, and that morality, rights and law must be observed even in war. He noted that the programme aims to give students moral and ethical sensitivity alongside academic knowledge.
The aim is to strengthen a universal awareness of justice and conscience through the research programmes “Turkish-Islamic Thought and Humanitarian Law”, courses on humanitarian law grounded in ethics and wisdom, and the “Workshop on Justice and Wisdom”.
Stating that true justice can be achieved only where law and conscience meet, Prof. Dr. Arıcan invited all participants to join in this universal call.
Date
08/09/2025, Monday, 10:00:00
