Axana Soltan
J.D | LL.M | MPP
International Human Rights Lawyer
- University of Oxford, U.S. President Eisenhower Global Scholar
- The George Washington University Law School, GW Law Merit-Scholar
- Honors College, Virginia Commonwealth University, Summa Cum Laude
Research Areas
- Women, Peace & Security
- Global Governance & Human Rights
- International Justice, Humanitarian Law & Global Security
- Gender, Conflict & International Policy
- Authoritarianism, Gender & Global Security
- Afghanistan, Conflict & International Policy
- Senior Fellow, Brown University Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
- Experience Before International Criminal Tribunals
- Justitia Honoree
- Oxford Union
- United Nations
- Brown University
- Scholarship Cited in UN Reports
Selected Publications
2025
Law Review Publication
LAW REVIEW ARTICLE
Ethical Advocacy in International Human Rights Litigation: Navigating Integrity Across Legal Systems
University of Detroit Mercy Law Review, Issue 3 (Spring 2025)
Examines ethical obligations and cross-jurisdictional challenges in international human rights litigation, with a focus on integrity, accountability, and the role of advocates across diverse legal systems.
2024
Law Review Publication
LAW REVIEW ARTICLE
From the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the Paris Agreement: Embedding Indigenous Human Rights.
UMKC Law Review, Volume 93 (2024)
Explores the integration of Indigenous human rights within international legal and environmental frameworks, with a focus on accountability, global governance, and the protection of vulnerable populations under international law.
2026
Law Review Publication
LAW REVIEW ARTICLE
Navigating Uncharted Territories: International Human Rights Law in Unrecognized States — Lessons from the Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis
Loyola Journal of Public Interest Law, Volume 27:2 (Spring 2026)
Critiques the Rome Statute’s failure to explicitly recognize gender apartheid and proposes a doctrinal and normative framework for closing this accountability gap.
2025
Law Review Publication
CITED IN UNITED NATIONS REPORT
Cited in United Nations Special Rapporteur Report
United Nations General Assembly Document A/80/158 (2025)
Cited in a report submitted to the United Nations General Assembly by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences.
Teaching & Pedagogy
Axana Soltan is committed to rigorous, student-centered teaching, and employs diverse methods, combining traditional legal perspectives with interdisciplinary and global approaches.
Research Interests
- Women, Peace & Security
- Human Rights and International Law
- Gender, Conflict & International Policy
- Authoritarianism, Gender & Global Security
- Law and Global Governance
Academic Engagement
Selected lectures, panels, and public engagements on international law, gender justice, and global accountability.
Selected Recognition
- Justitia Honoree 2025
- Oxford Union | Invited Speaker & Moderator
- Scholarship Cited in UN Special Rapporteur Reports
- Brown University | WPS Research Agenda (Co-author)
Academic Engagement
Invited lectures, panel discussions, and symposia contributions on international law, global accountability, and national security.
Oxford Union Debate
International Justice & Global Accountability
Spoke alongside Stephen Rapp, Judge Robert Spano, Eleanor Sharpton, and Tom Ginsburg.
Oxford Union. 12 March 2023
Blavatnik School of Goverement, University of Oxford (Invited Lecture)
Codification of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under International Criminal Law
Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
Oxford United Kingdom. 30 May 2023
Chair, Oxford Union High-Level Panel
Chaired a high level panel on codifying gender apartheid as a crime under international criminal law
Spoke Alongside Rangita De Silwa De Alwis, Kimberley Motley, Lina Abi-Rafeh, Shukria Barakzai and others.
Oxford Union. 18 November 2022
Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Scholars Address
Dwight D. Eisenhower Featured Speaker
Key Note Speaker, Class of 2026
Oxford, United Kingdom. 13 May 2026
MEDIA & SPEAKING
Academic Engagements
Selected lectures, panels, and public engagements on international law, gender justice, and global accountability.
FEATURED ADDRESS
Oxford Union Debate — International Law & Global Accountability
Speaker alongside Stephen Rapp, Robert Spano, Eleanor Sharpston, and Tom Ginsburg.
Selected to speak at the Oxford Union in a formal debate on state responsibility, the international legal order, and the future of global justice.
Speaker, Oxford Union International Affairs Debate
U.S. Foreign Policy Debate. Spoke alongside Michael Chertoff, Michael Liter, Peter Bergen and others.
Chaired a High Level Panel at Oxford University
Chaired a discussion on emerging doctrinal pathways for the recognition of gender apartheid under international criminal law.
Keynote Address — Violence Against Women & Girls. Examining international criminal accountability, gender-based violence, and post-conflict justice mechanisms
Keynote remarks on international legal responses to gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Oxford Union Debate on International Justice & Accountability
Participated alongside Stephen Rapp, Judge Robert Spano, Eleanor Sharpston, and others.
Speaker, Oxford Union International Affairs Forum
Participated in a discussion on U.S. foreign policy and international security alongside Michael Chertoff, Michael Leiter, Peter Bergen, and others.
Institutional Affiliations & Features
“Law is not only a system of rules, but a moral architecture for a just world.”
— Axana Soltan