Professor Alexidze’s contributions to the development of the doctrine of International Law and research of history have become indispensable tools for the conduct of public affairs worldwide. Official documents, drafted by Professor Alexidze or with his co-authorship, have been of immense importance for the statehood of contemporary Georgia. He played a crucial role during the restoration of sovereignty to, and in the drafting of the Constitution of newly independent Georgia and in its admission to various international organizations as a full-fledged member. He worked hard and acted quickly to establish the Georgian International Law School as a part of the newly created International Law and International Relations Faculty at Tbilisi State University immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. His critical vision as an Academician and creative analysis of traditional legal concepts as well as the ensuing sustainability of his conclusions have been of immense value.

Levan Alexidze will be dearly missed by all his loved ones. He will always be remembered for his exceptional gift of friendship and extraordinary professional leadership.

May he rest in peace and serve as an example to all of us!

Levan Alexidze was born in Tbilisi on July 5, 1926. Having graduated Faculty of Law of Tbilisi State University in 1946, in 1964 he was awarded a Doctoral degree in Law by the same Faculty. During his long professional career until his untimely, sudden death on 31 July 2019, Levan Alexidze was always intimately associated with his Georgian alma mater until the last days of his life - in addition to the many important positions and functions he held in Georgian and international public life. He was a Senior Officer at the UN Secretariat’s Human Rights Department in New York and Geneva; Chief Advisor to the President of Georgia in international legal matters and Chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Committee as well as Constitutional commissions. He represented his country in numerous international and regional conferences and meetings and was member of prestigious international law institutions.  Professor Alexidze was also a prolific writer of scholarly works and a frequent lecturer on the importance of international law at Universities and legal Academies in Europe and the USA. His invaluable contributions to Georgian public life, good governance and the rule of law were recognized in receiving many state prizes and awards.

Professor Alexidze's lecture on the topic of “People’s Right to Self-Determination; Separatism in a Contemporary International Context”. Watch here.


Professor Alexidze’s professional life was of incredible intensity and variation.  Some details below:

Positions and Functions:

Professor of International Law at Tbilisi State University (since 1965); Member of the American Branch of the International Law Association (1970-1976); Senior Officer at the UN Secretariat’s Human Rights Department in New York and Geneva (1970-1977) including as Secretary of the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, (1970-1975), Head of the Advisory Services and Special Procedures Department (1975-1977) and Personal Representative of the UN Secretary General and organizer of many  inter-state seminars; Member of the former Soviet Association of International Law (1958-1991) including Member of its Executive Board (1962-1970 and 1981-1990); and Member of the International Law Association (1962-1990); First Vice-Rector of the Tbilisi State University (1985-1993); its Deputy Rector (2010-2015); and Director of the International Law Institute at the Law Faculty of Tbilisi State University (since 2010).

Member and Chairman of the Legal Committee of the Parliament of Georgia (1990-1991);

Chief Adviser to the President of Georgia on international legal matters (1993-2004); Member of the Georgian Delegation in the Geneva Discussions on Abkhaz problems; Deputy Head of the Georgian Delegation at the Vienna International Conference on Human Rights (June 1993); Legal expert of the Georgian Delegation at the 47th and 49th Sessions of the UN General Assembly (1993-1995); Representative of Georgia at the sessions of the UN Commission on Human Rights (1994-1999); President of the Club of Rome in Georgia (since 1995); Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (since 1996); Head of the Georgian Delegation at the session of the UN Human Rights Committee (March 1997); Legal expert at the Rome Conference on the International Criminal Court (July 1998); Member in respect of Georgia in the Council of Europe's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (1999-2012); Director of the Institute of European Law and International Human Rights Law (since 2000); Full Member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (since 2001); Chairman of the Committee for International Legal Aspects of the Georgian Constitution in the State Constitutional Commission (2009-2010); and member of the European Society of International Law (2011-2012).

Since 1970 Levan Alexidze lectured on international law at prestigious institutions in the USA and Europe, including Emory and Boston Universities (USA); the Humboldt University (Germany); The Hague Academy of International Law; the State Universities of Kiev, Baku and Yerevan; the State University of Latvia, and the Academy of Human Rights (Greece).

Scientific works: 

Professor Alexidze's more than 150 scientific monographs, textbooks, scientific articles, extensively published in English, German, Spanish, Russian and Georgian, have provided the foundation for the study of international legal aspects of Georgian history, were recognized as international law doctrine and served to substantiate the groundless nature of the right to self-determination claimed by aggressive separatists of breakaway Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia, Georgia. He is the author of the first Georgian-language textbooks in the field of international law, being published since 1968; Levan Alexidze also started the Georgian-English Journal of International Law and was an editor and co-author of dictionary-guides such as the one on Modern International Law, Tbilisi, 2003; and on International Law and Human Rights, Tbilisi, 2005.

Prizes and Awards:

Levan Alexidze has received state prizes and awards, including St. George’s Victory Order (2013); Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi (2011); the Presidential Order of Excellence (2010); Order of Honor (1996); and the Georgian state prize in science for a monograph: Некоторые Вопросы Теории Международного Права - Императивные нормы “jus cogens”, Тбилиси, 1982 (1986).

Lectures: