[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S4309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S4309]]
                 HONORING PROFESSOR M. CHERIF BASSIOUNI

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, as reports come in detailing the 
events in Kosovo, the ``ethnic cleansing'' and terror that has forced 
over a million people from their homes, sadness fills our hearts. Less 
than two weeks ago I traveled to the Balkans and visited a refugee 
camp, filled with thousands of people, that had been an empty field 
just weeks before. We are often so immersed in the accounts of those 
survivors who have lived through the suffering that we forget about the 
men and women who have dedicated their lives to ease this pain, and to 
bringing those who abuse human rights to justice.
  Today, I rise to recognize M. Cherif Bassiouni of Chicago, Illinois 
for his selflessness and dedication to bringing those who commit crimes 
against humanity to justice. Professor Bassiouni, facing great personal 
risk and many obstacles, has visited many war-torn sections of Bosnia 
and Croatia, documenting the atrocities and crimes that have been 
committed there. His 3,500 pages of analysis, backed by 300 hours of 
videotape and 65,000 documents served as the foundation for the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Professor 
Bassiouni has also played a key role in the UN Convention against 
Torture.
  Professor Bassiouni has often been a powerful voice insisting that 
violators of human rights be brought to justice. Professor Bassiouni is 
a Professor of Law and President of the International Human Rights Law 
Institute at DePaul University in Chicago. The global impact of his 
work, dating back to 1964, has led to the creation of the International 
Criminal Court. A citizen of both the United States and Egypt, 
Professor Bassiouni is known and respected around the world for his 
accomplishments. He is the President of the Association Internationale 
de Troit Penal and President of the International Institute of Higher 
Studies in Criminal Science.
  Professor Bassiouni has accomplished a great deal in his effort to 
see that human rights are respected. In 1977, Bassiouni co-chaired the 
committee that drafted the U.N. Convention Against Torture. He was 
appointed the independent expert by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights 
to draft the statute establishing international jurisdiction over the 
implementation of the Apartheid Convention of 1981. Bassiouni was the 
Chairman of the U.N. Commission investigating international 
humanitarian law violations in the former Yugoslavia, work that led to 
the Ad-Hoc Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague. His many 
accomplishments led to his election in 1995 as Vice-Chairman of the 
U.N. General Assembly Committee for the establishment of the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
  For his work leading to the establishment of the International 
Criminal Court, and for his dedication to protecting human rights, 
Professor Bassiouni has been nominated for the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize. 
The nominating organization, the International and Scientific 
Professional Advisory Council of the UN has said that Professor 
Bassiouni was the ``single most driving force behind the global 
decision to establish the International Criminal Court.'' This court 
prosecutes and brings to justice internationally, those who have 
committed crimes against humanity. His accomplishments in this field 
have caused Professor Bassiouni to be known as the ``father of the 
International Criminal Court.''
  Professor Bassiouni has been a great asset to the people of all 
nations. It was his dedication and perseverance, in the face of great 
odds, that helped create an institution that holds accountable those 
who choose to commit human rights abuses. The vision of Professor 
Bassiouni has culminated in a system that ensures that those who commit 
crimes against humanity do not go unpunished.
  Mr. President, M. Cherif Bassiouni has made an important difference 
in the battle against human rights abuses. It is my pleasure to rise 
today to pay tribute to his extraordinary work and to congratulate him 
on his Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

                          ____________________