Senior Counsel
Rustam Atadjanov
About
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Dr. Rustam B. Atadjanov is a Senior Counsel at ADL Disputes and an Associate Professor of Public and International Law at KIMEP University School of Law in Almaty. He teaches and researches in the areas of public international law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, treaty law, and comparative public law. He previously served as Interim Dean and Associate Dean of KIMEP University School of Law.
Before joining academia full-time, Dr. Atadjanov worked with the Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Central Asia, focusing on the domestic implementation of international humanitarian law and international criminal law. He has advised and contributed to legislative, academic, and expert projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, including on war crimes repression, protection of cultural property, national IHL implementation structures, and the implementation of international law in domestic legal systems.
Dr. Atadjanov is the author of “Humanness as a Protected Legal Interest of Crimes against Humanity” and “A Common Theory of Law: Textbook on New Legal Approaches for Post-Soviet States”, and co-editor of “International Conflict and Security Law: A Research Handbook”. He was also a Book Review Editor of the Central Asian Yearbook of International Law and International Relations, and is an editorial board member and peer reviewer for several international legal journals, and a member of leading professional associations in international law.
Recognition
Education
Date
Institution
Experience
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS:
Associate Professor of Public and International Law, School of Law, KIMEP University, 2023 to date
Interim Dean, School of Law, KIMEP University, 2024
Associate Dean, School of Law, KIMEP University, 2022-2023 and 2024-2025
Visiting Associate Professor of International Law and Doctoral Thesis Supervisor, Suleyman Demirel University, Kazakhstan, 2024 to date
Assistant Professor of Public and International Law, School of Law, KIMEP University, 2019-2023
Academic Lecturer in International Criminal Law, Faculty of Law, University of Hamburg, Germany, 2017
COURSES TAUGHT [IN ENGLISH]
Public International Law
Public International Law (Advanced)
Law of International Treaties
International Criminal Law
International Human Rights Law
International Humanitarian Law
International Conflict and Security Law
Diplomatic and Consular Law
Human Rights Law and Practice in Kazakhstan
History of International Law
Constitutional Law of Kazakhstan
Criminal Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan (General Part)
Criminal Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Special Part)
Theory of State and Law
Introduction to the Legal System of Kazakhstan
International Institutions and Law
ACADEMIC SUPERVISION AND EXAMINATION
Since 2021: supervised twenty nine (29) MA, LLM and LLB theses [written in English] on public international law, international human rights law, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law;
In 2022: external examiner of a PhD thesis submitted at the Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
Since 2024: a doctoral supervisor of a PhD student at the SDU University (Kazakhstan), on international space law.
MEMBER OF EDITORIAL BOARDS
Journal of International Peacekeeping (Brill Nijhoff), Editorial Board Member, 2024 to dat
Journal of Humanity, Peace and Justice, Editorial Board Member, 2023 to date
International Journal of Law and Society, Editorial Board Member, 2024 to date
Ukrainian Law Review, Member of the Editorial Board / Visiting Editor, 2022 to 2025
Central Asian Yearbook of International Law and International Relations, Book Review Editor, 2017 to 2025
International Law Research, Editorial Reviewer, 2013 to date
Peer Reviewer for multiple international academic journals in public international law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, human rights law, sociology of law, and related disciplines, 2015 to date
JURY MEMBERSHIP:
February 2026 Central Asian Regional Rounds of The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, The International Law Students Association (ILSA), Tashkent State University of Law (Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 6-8 February 2025) – Judge of the four Preliminary Rounds (presiding), judge in the Final Round
August 2025 Summer School for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, The International Law Students Association (ILSA), Narxoz University (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 11 August 2025) – Judge of the Preliminary Rounds (presiding)
April 2025 KIMEP 2025 Grand National Legal Debate Tournament, KIMEP University School of Law (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 5 April 2025) – Judge of the Semi-Final and Final-2 Rounds
March 2025 Student Discussion Event titled “The Impact of Three Years of War in Ukraine: Impact on Kazakhstan and Future Forecast”, KIMEP University College of Social Science (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 14 March 2025) – Judge (presiding)
February 2025 Central Asian National and Friendly Rounds of The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, The International Law Students Association (ILSA), KIMEP University School of Law (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 15-16 February 2025) – Judge of the three Regional Rounds (presiding over the second Round)
March 2024 KIMEP 2024 Grand National Legal Debate Tournament, KIMEP University School of Law (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 2 March 2024) – Judge of the Final Round (presiding)
February 2024 Central Asian National and Friendly Rounds of The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, The International Law Students Association (ILSA), KIMEP University School of Law (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 15-17 February 2024) – Judge of the two National Rounds and the Friendly Rounds (presiding over the two latter Rounds)
June 2023 2nd FIS International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition, Firdaous Integrated Services (FIS) and School of Law, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (Nigeria / Kenya, 22 May 2023 – 3 June 2023) – Judge of the Quarter-Final Round
May 2023 Republican Olympiad on International Law, KIMEP University (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 13 May 2023) – Chairman of the Jury
October 2021 11th Amity International Moot Court Competition on Public International Law, Extradition and Diplomatic Immunity, Amity Law School (Noida, India, 31 October 2021) – Judge of the Final Round
July – August 2021 Essay Contest on “Robots and IHL”, International Committee of the Red Cross (Kazakhstan, June – September 2021) – Jury member
April – May 2019 International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition, Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies / Universiteit Leiden (The Hague, 2 June – 7 June 2019) – Member of the International Panel of Evaluation
March – April 2018 International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition, Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies / Universiteit Leiden (The Hague, 27 May – 1 June 2018) – Member of the International Panel of Evaluation
April 2012 3rd Regional Conference on International Humanitarian Law for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students of Central Asian Higher Educational Institutions, International Committee of the Red Cross (Tashkent, 19-20 April 2012) – Jury member
MEMBERSHIP IN ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL ENTITIES:
June 2026 – present: Bangladesh Society of International Law (BSIL) – Honorable Adviser of International Criminal Law and Atrocity Crimes
January 2024 – present: Uzbek Association of International Law (UzAIL) – Member
June 2022 – present: Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) – Member
June 2022 – present: European Society of International Law (ESIL) – Member
December 2021 – present: American Society of International Law (ASIL) – Member
April 2021 – present: World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) – WCEL Member
Publications
TEXTBOOKS, MANUALS AND MONOGRAPHS:
– A Common Theory of Law: Textbook on New Legal Approaches for Post-Soviet States. T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer, February 2026. Textbook for law students (in English)
– International Conflict and Security Law: A Research Handbook. Sayapin, Atadjanov, Kadam, Kemp, Zambrana-Tévar and Quénivet (Eds.), T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer, July 2022, 1497 pp. (in English)
– Humanness as a Protected Legal Interest of Crimes Against Humanity: Conceptual and Normative Aspects. T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer, 2nd edition (Forthcoming, 2026; in English)
– Humanness as a Protected Legal Interest of Crimes Against Humanity: Conceptual and Normative Aspects. T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer, 2019, 324 pp. (in English)
– The Role of Individuals in International Law: The United Nations Human Rights Protection System. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2013, 69 pp. (in English)
CHAPTERS IN EDITED COLLECTIONS:
– “A Critical Reflection on Positivist Approaches Toward International Law in Central Asia”, in International Law, Politics and Security in Central Asia. Studies on Transformation and Development in the OSCE Region, Sayapin (ed.) (T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer) [in English], pp. 31-63, 10 May 2026
– “Legal Protection of Animals in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan”, in Animal Law Worldwide. Key Issues and Main Trends across 27 Jurisdictions, Dalpane and Baideldinova (eds.) (T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer) [in English], pp. 237-251, November 2024
– “International Legal Implications of the Russian-Ukrainian War for Central Asian States”, in The Russia–Ukraine War and Its Implications on Central Asia: Resilience, Connectivity, and Decolonization, Karabayeva and Qoraboyev (eds.) (Bloomsbury Publishing USA) [in English], pp. 181-197, October 2024
– “Human Rights as a Concept of Public Law: Challenges for Central Asian Higher Education Systems”, in Human Rights Dissemination in Central Asia: Human Rights Education and Capacity Building in the Post-Soviet Space, Mihr and Wittke (eds.) (Springer), pp. 47-60 [in English], May 2023
– “Humanity”, in International Conflict and Security Law, Sayapin, Atadjanov, Kadam, Kemp, Zambrana-Tévar and Quénivet (eds.) (T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer) pp. 3-26 [in English], July 2022
– “Crimes against Humanity”, in International Conflict and Security Law, Sayapin, Atadjanov, Kadam, Kemp, Zambrana-Tévar and Quénivet (eds.) (T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer), pp. 1031-1072 [in English], July 2022
– “Nuclear Weapons”, in International Conflict and Security Law, Sayapin, Atadjanov, Kadam, Kemp, Zambrana-Tévar and Quénivet (eds.) (T.M.C. Asser Press / Springer) pp. 337-365 [in English], July 2022
– “The Concept of Humanity in International Criminal Law”, in Central Asian Yearbook of International Law and International Relations, Sayapin et al. (ed.) (Eleven International Publishing), Vol. I [in English], August 2022
– “War Crimes Committed during the Armed Conflict in Ukraine: What Should the ICC Focus On?”, in The Use of Force against Ukraine and International Law: Jus ad bellum, jus in bello, jus post bellum, Sayapin and Tsybulenko (eds.) (T.M.C. Asser Press) [in English], published September 2018
ARTICLES IN SCHOLARLY PERIODICALS:
– “Treaty Frameworks of International Space Law and Their Relevance for Kazakhstan: Legal Complexities, Implementation Challenges, and Prospects for Reform”, in Eurasian Scientific Journal of Law, Turan University, issue #1, vol. 14 (2026), published Spring 2026 [in English] – co-authored with M.B. Aitbek and D.S. Umarkhanova
– “Implementation of International Human Rights Law during Situations of Violence: The Central Asian Experience”, in Baltic Yearbook of International Law, BRILL, issue #1, vol. 22 (2023), published December 2024 [in English]
– “The Genocide Case against Israel: from the Victim’s Side to the Defendant’s Bench?”, in Journal of International Peacekeeping, BRILL, issue #3, vol. 27 (2024), published December 2024 [in English]
– “Individual Criminal Responsibility of the Russian State Representatives for Their War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in Ukraine”, in Pravo Ukraїni [“Law of Ukraine”], Vol. 2 (2024), published April 2024 [in English]
– “Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities: Central Asian Law and Practice”, in Asian Yearbook of International Law, Cambridge University Press, Vol. 27 (2021), published 20 November 2023 [in English]
– “Teaching Public International Law in Central Asia: Major Challenges, Problematic Issues, Coping Strategies and Useful Methods”, in Indonesian Journal of International Law, Vol. 20, Number #1, Article 1 (2022), December 2022 [in English]
– “Holding the Aggressor Accountable”, in Journal of International Peacekeeping, BRILL, issue #2, vol. 25 (2022), August 2022 [in English]
– “Domestic Implementation of Crimes against Humanity in Central Asia”, in Asian Journal of Comparative Law, Cambridge University Press, issue #2, vol. 17 (2022), published August 2022 [in English]
– “Excuses and Justifications in the Criminal Law of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan: A Comparative Perspective”, in Law and State, KAZGUU University, issue #1(94), 2022, published 31 March 2022, available at: http://km.kazguu.kz/catalog/catalog/index [in English]
– “Building the State of Law (Rechtsstaat) in the Countries of Central Asia: An Unachievable Dream or Realistic Objective?”, in Law and State, KAZGUU University, issue #3(92), 2021, published 30 November 2021, available at: http://km.kazguu.kz/catalog/catalog/index [in English]
– “Challenges for the Implementation of International Law in Central Asia: Contributing Factors and Possible Solutions”, in Central Asia Business Journal, KIMEP University, issue of Spring 2021, published 2 April 2021, available at: https://www.kimep.kz/bang-college-of-business/files/2018/03/Compilation2Spring-2021.pdf [in English]
– “Ensuring Compliance by Non-State Actors with Rules of IHL on the Use of Weapons in NIAC: A Way To Follow?”, in Asia-Pacific Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law, Institute of International Legal Studies of the University of the Philippines Law Center, vol. IV (2010-2011), published 6 September 2012 [in English]
ENCYCLOPAEDIC ENTRIES:
– “Crimes against Humanity”, encyclopaedic article in Encyclopaedia of Public International Law in Asia (EPILA), BRILL, published 1 October 2021 [in English]
– “Humanity”, encyclopaedic article in Encyclopaedia of Public International Law in Asia (EPILA), BRILL, published 1 October 2021 [in English]
– “International Committee of the Red Cross and Central Asia”, encyclopaedic article in Encyclopaedia of Public International Law in Asia (EPILA), BRILL, published 1 October 2021 [in English]
– “Non-International Armed Conflict in Tajikistan”, encyclopaedic article in Encyclopaedia of Public International Law in Asia (EPILA), BRILL, published 1 October 2021 [in English]
– “The Testing of Nuclear Weapons in the Former Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic”, encyclopaedic article in Encyclopaedia of Public International Law in Asia (EPILA), BRILL, published 1 October 2021 [in English]
– “M. Cherif Bassiouni”, biographical article on in Eнциклопедiя мiжнародного права [“Encyclopedia of International Law”], volume I (from ‘A’ to ‘Д’), Видавничий дiм “Академпериодика” (Publishing House “Akademperiodika”), Kiev, Ukraine, 2014 [in Ukrainian] – in co-authorship with Professor Vladimir Denisov
CONFERENCE PAPERS:
– “The United Nations Security Council: Need for Reform in Light of Ongoing Developments in International Law”, paper in Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference titled “Current Trends: International Law and Diplomacy”, organized by the University of International Business (UIB) (26 February 2024), published March 2024 [in English]
– “The Concept of Human Rights in the Constitutions of Central Asian States: Main Theses”, smaller contribution in Collection of Articles of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “The Value of an Individual in the Eurasian Model of Constitutionalism: from Ideas to Reality”, organized by KAZGUU and Constitutional Council of the RK (28 August 2020), published October 2020 [in Russian]
Languages
