Kouroch Bellis

Kouroch Bellis is a Laureate of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques from the Institut de France. He holds a Ph.D. Summa Cum Laude (2018) from Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University in Paris and an LL.M. from Yale Law School (2022). Additionally, he holds two LL.M.s Summa Cum Laude from Paris 2 in Private Law (2014) and Legal History (2013), and a diploma Summa Cum Laude from Paris 2 in German Law (2010).

His prize from the Institut de France recognizes Dr. Bellis’ achievements in his PhD thesis on natural/moral obligations (complete current version, summary). With a historical and comparative perspective, it explores the relations between law, morals and culture. He compared the civil codes of 23 countries, including Chile, Lebanon, Philippines, Louisiana, Senegal, Algeria, Japan.

Dr. Bellis’ research on natural law segued into his writings regarding human rights. He has published on domestic violence and has been heard in the French Senate, which were used to advise lawmakers on resulting legal reform. His work on missing persons was also quoted by the general attorney of the European Court of Justice. Further guided by the theme of moral obligations for society’s betterment, Dr. Bellis published academic articles focusing on vulnerable populations, including family law, domestic violence law, and insolvency law. His academic projects develop concrete avenues to combat the modern and legal challenges that compromised populations face.

With an emphasis on integrating the law’s ubiquity and applicability, Dr. Bellis’ work analyzes and strengthens the intersection of human lives with the government’s potential to catalyze positive change. Expanding on the versatility of law through cultures, he also published review essays on the concept of law in the mystical Islamic world (parts 1 and 2). Dr. Bellis continues to advocate for both human and environmental rights through his current writing on the legal consequences of the Agent Orange ecocide in Vietnam.