[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9768]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING PROFESSOR CHERIF BASSIOUNI

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to honor an outstanding Illinoisan, 
Professor Cherif Bassiouni, a great legal mind, teacher, and 
humanitarian, and to congratulate him on his retirement.
  For more than 40 years, Professor Bassiouni has made Chicago--and 
DePaul University--his home. At DePaul, he has made countless 
contributions to international law and legal education. He has also 
been a consistent advocate for the rule of law. His legacy at DePaul 
continues the legacy of his family. The Bassiouni family is widely 
known for their impact on the struggle for independence in Egypt almost 
one century ago.
  Cherif's maternal and paternal grandparents were lawyers and leaders 
in the struggle for Egyptian independence. His paternal grandfather led 
the 1919 revolt against the British. Professor Bassiouni's early 
instruction was comprised of French Jesuit schooling, Muslim tutors, 
and European nannies. His upbringing encompassed the best of different 
societies and was a sign of great things to come. He was introduced to 
the charitable works of St. Vincent de Paul and since his youth, has 
been guided by St. Vincent's motto, ``to serve God by serving the needs 
of man.'' He lived through some of the most dramatic moments in both 
Egyptian and American history; he was a solider during the 1956 war but 
then dissented against Nasser's regime and was placed under house 
arrest. Soon afterward he immigrated to the United States.
  After finishing his law degree, Professor Bassiouni began his 
teaching career at the DePaul University College of Law in 1964, where 
he was able to link the experiences of his youth to the work of his 
adult life. He was steadfastly devoted to the advancement of human 
rights. He did pro bono work for clients involved in the civil rights 
movement that culminated in the 1967 Chicago riots and the 1968 
Democratic National Convention protests. Ten years later he applied 
what he had learned to his native land, by advising President Anwar 
Sadat during the Camp David Peace Accords.
  As a legal scholar, Professor Bassiouni's accomplishments are 
astounding. Several thousand judges and professors worldwide have 
studied under him. He is considered a world authority in the field of 
international criminal law. He cochaired the United Nations Committee 
of Experts that drafted the Convention Against Torture. He drafted this 
seminal document from his ninth floor office in the O'Malley Building 
of DePaul, right down the street from my office in Chicago.
  At DePaul, Professor Bassiouni has left a lasting mark, perhaps most 
notably for his founding of the International Human Rights Law 
Institute. The IHRLI already has impacted generations of students and 
assisted people throughout the world.
  Cherif Bassiouni has been a Nobel nominee and is a recipient of the 
Illinois Order of Lincoln--among many other honors. He was pivotal in 
the creation of the International Criminal Court. His has been a voice 
of reason and experience in complicated situations, including most 
recently his work as counsel to the Governments of Afghanistan and Iraq 
as they seek to establish rule of law. I hope he will continue to 
advise these wounded nations as they move towards peace and democracy.
  I conclude by thanking Professor Bassiouni for his brilliant work and 
contributions not only to DePaul University but also to the lives and 
communities his work has helped shape. I commend him and his family and 
wish him an equally brilliant retirement.

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