M. Cherif Bassiouni

M. Cherif Bassiouni
Name	M. Cherif Bassiouni
Birth date	1937-09-09
Birth place	Cairo, Egypt
Death date	2017-09-25
Death place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupation	Lawyer, jurist, professor
Alma mater	University of Alexandria; Ohio State University; University of Illinois College of Law
Known for	International criminal law, International Criminal Court, human rights

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M. Cherif Bassiouni M. Cherif Bassiouni was an Egyptian-born American jurist, scholar, and advocate whose work shaped modern international criminal law, human rights practice, and the development of the International Criminal Court. He taught at the DePaul University College of Law and served in advisory and investigatory roles for the United Nations, influencing landmark efforts such as the Ad hoc tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. His career connected institutions including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, American Bar Association, and the legal communities of Cairo, Chicago, and Washington, D.C..

Early life and education

Born in Cairo during the reign of King Farouk and the era of the Republic of Egypt (1953–58), he completed primary studies in Alexandria before emigrating to the United States to pursue legal education at Ohio State University and the University of Illinois College of Law. He earned degrees that positioned him among peers linked to institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, and the University of Chicago Law School, while contemporaries included figures from the American Bar Association and the International Bar Association. His formative years overlapped with global events including the Suez Crisis and the rising prominence of United Nations bodies.

He began practicing and teaching law in the United States, joining the faculty of DePaul University where he developed courses drawing on precedents established by the Nuremberg Trials, the Tokyo Trials, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. His academic collaborations and exchanges involved scholars from Oxford University, Cambridge University, Sciences Po, and the Academy of International Law while he engaged with organizations such as the American Society of International Law and the International Committee of the Red Cross. He also consulted for entities including the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Justice (United States), and multinational legal teams associated with cases before the International Court of Justice.

He was a leading voice in debates about the creation and jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court under the Rome Statute, working alongside delegates from the United Nations General Assembly, advocates from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and judges from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. His advocacy intersected with legal responses to atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Darfur, and he engaged with policy actors from the European Union, the African Union, and the Organization of American States. He participated in forums with representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and regional courts such as the East African Court of Justice.

He served as a UN investigator and legal adviser in high-profile inquiries, including mandates linked to the United Nations Security Council, the UN Commission on Human Rights, and fact-finding missions concerning conflicts in Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Darfur. His roles connected him with officials from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor (International Criminal Court), and legal teams from the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He worked with figures tied to the Yugoslav Wars, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Sudan conflict, liaising with representatives of UNICEF, UNHCR, and UN Peacekeeping operations.

He authored and edited numerous books and articles that became standard references alongside works by scholars at Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and journals such as the American Journal of International Law, the International Criminal Law Review, and the Harvard International Law Journal. His publications discussed precedents from the Nuremberg Trials, doctrinal issues related to the Rome Statute, and comparative analysis involving the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. He collaborated with academics from Yale University, Harvard University, Columbia University, and New York University and contributed to policy papers used by the United Nations and the International Bar Association.

His work earned honors from institutions including the American Society of International Law, the International Law Association, and various universities such as DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago. He received recognition in ceremonies attended by members of the United Nations, delegations from the European Union, and representatives of the African Union, and his name was associated with awards given by groups like Human Rights Watch and the International Criminal Court. He also held honorary degrees from universities in Europe, Africa, and North America.

Survived by family in Chicago and connections to legal communities in Cairo and Washington, D.C., his legacy continues through institutes, centers, and legal curricula at institutions such as DePaul University, the International Criminal Court, and nonprofit organizations like Human Rights Watch. His influence is cited in rulings by the International Court of Justice, academic programs at Oxford University and Cambridge University, and policy frameworks used by the United Nations Security Council and regional bodies such as the African Union.

Category:1937 births Category:2017 deaths Category:International criminal law scholars Category:DePaul University faculty