Sophie Rigney

Sophie Rigney is a Senior Lecturer in Law at RMIT University's School of Law, based at the City Campus in Australia. Her research focuses on three core areas: Indigenous peoples' relationships with states, particularly regarding the Uluru Statement from the Heart and Indigenous international law; international criminal law's carceral abolition movement and rights of the accused; and how international law is portrayed in children's literature. She authored Fairness and Rights in International Criminal Procedure (2022) and has held roles at institutions like the University of New South Wales and Melbourne Law School. Rigney teaches across public, private, and international law, overseeing doctoral programs and advocating for decolonial pedagogy.

Her career includes legal work at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and leadership roles in human rights organizations such as Amnesty International Australia. She is currently Program Manager for RMIT's LLB programs and actively supervises postgraduate research. Her work has been cited by the International Criminal Court, reflecting her influence in international law discourse.

Rigney's publications span legal reform, Indigenous sovereignty, and pedagogical innovation, with recent contributions addressing the Gaza conflict and League of Nations' Indigenous diplomacy. Her research bridges historical analysis, legal practice, and educational reform, emphasizing decolonization and systemic critique.