Regardless of whether Gov. George Ryan grants clemency to Illinois’ death row inmates, he already has “engaged in a Nobel Peace Prize-class effort,” the law professor who plans to nominate him for the honor said Monday.

Ryan deserves the Nobel “for his heroic, courageous and principled opposition to the racist and class-based death penalty system” in Illinois, said Francis Boyle. He cited Ryan’s moratorium on executions, his death penalty reform commission and his consideration of clemency requests from most of the people on death row.

By Monday, the governor will decide whether he will commute any of the inmates’ death sentences to a life prison term.

Boyle, a death penalty opponent who teaches international law at the University of Illinois in Champaign, said last week that he would nominate Ryan for the Nobel.

At a Statehouse news conference Monday, Boyle said the necessary paperwork would be filed with the Nobel committee by the Feb. 1 deadline. The winner will be announced by mid-November.

Boyle and others have put together a committee to promote the idea of Ryan receiving the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. The committee includes a Norwegian woman, and she has advised the others that the Norwegian Nobel Committee likely won’t pay much attention to the licenses-for-bribes scandal that has stained Ryan’s term as governor.

Boyle said the Norwegians’ attitude probably will be: “That’s just politics in America.”

The committee’s pro-Ryan campaign includes a Web site at stopcapitalpunishment.org.

While the Web site has attracted comments from Ryan supporters from around the world, it also has prompted about a dozen opponents to let their thoughts be known.

For instance, one anonymous writer said the Ryan-for-Nobel effort “just proves intelligent men lack wisdom.”

The opposing comments, which included “some very contrary messages,” have been removed, said Bob Wakfer, who is maintaining the Web site.

“We agonized (over that decision) and said is this a matter of free speech or whatever,” said Wakfer.

But the Web site is meant to be a forum for people who support Ryan as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, he said. The negative comments are being kept on file.

Boyle, who qualifies to nominate a Nobel Peace Prize candidate because of his profession, has taught at U of I since 1978. He has provided legal advice to several foreign governments and entities, including Chechnya, Libya and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.