Profile of Francis Boyle on Famous Like Me

Francis A. Boyle, is a professor of International Law at Univ. Illinois – Champaign. He is a mangna cum laude Harvard graduate and specialist in international humanitarian law.

Between 1988 and 1992 he was a member of the board of Amnesty International USA. He threatened to sue AI for what he perceived as bias pertaining its coverage of Palestinian human rights abuses. Since then he has been an consistent critic of the organization. This can be sampled in a 2002 interview with Covert Action Quarterly which includes the charge that the organization's staff has been infiltrated by the US and UK intelligence services.

From 1991 to 1993, he was a legal advisor to the PLO. He has written numerous articles on Palestinian human rights violations.

He is currently Attorney of Record for the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and a member of the Nobel Peace Prize For Governor George H. Ryan Committee.

Professor Boyle is a controversial figure at the University of Illinois. He famously credits himself for helping to "prevent a war" between the US and Libya in the 1990s, and speaks fondly of his interactions with Mummar Qadaffi. Professor Boyle has taken a strong stand against the actions taken by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq following the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Boyle keeps a low profile on campus, deleting his photograph from the faculty directory, and removing the nameplate from his office, after allegedly receiving death threats from Serbian terrorists following his appearance as counsel representing Bosnia-Herzegovina in the genocide trial against Serbia and Montenegro.

He holds a citizenship of Bosnia-Herzegovina which he received in 1993 while he was an adviser to Bosnian war-time president Alija Izetbegovic.

He has also taken a strong stand in favor of Hawai'ian independence and against a University of Illinois "pub crawl" that occurs on St. Patrick's Day, arguing that the latter is offensive to persons of Irish nationality.

In 2002, Professor Boyle protested a speech by Ruth Wedgewood (a law professor performing consulting work for the George W. Bush Administration,) by equating her advocacy of military tribunals in the War on Terror with kangaroo courts. He sat next to an individual dressed in a kangaroo costume during her speech to underline his point.

Professor Boyle and friend listen to Wedgewood's speech.

External resources

• Dennis Bernstein's interview with Prof. Francis Boyle, CAQ, Summer 2002. Boyle, a former AI-USA board member, threatened to sue AI-USA over its alleged biased coverage.

Boyle's Faculty webpage:

Boyle's statement on Hawai'ian independence (incl. picture):

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