Staff Reporter

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has requested an investigation into International Court of Justice (ICJ) Vice President Julia Sebutinde over recent remarks she allegedly made in Uganda.

The commission argues that her comments reveal a bias that compromises her judicial integrity in the ongoing genocide case against Israel.

On August 10, Sebutinde reportedly said at a church event in Kampala, Uganda, that the Lord is counting on her to stand on the side of Israel.

This statement prompted the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists to send a formal letter to ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa, citing the comments as a violation of judicial impartiality.

The commission’s secretary-general, Santiago Canton, urged an investigation and requested that Sebutinde be removed from the South Africa v. Israel case while the inquiry takes place.

Judge Sebutinde’s 71, is a Ugandan judge currently serving her second term at the ICJ since March 2012.
She was elected vice president in February 2024.

In the case filed by South Africa alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, Sebutinde was the only one of the 17 judges to dissent on all six provisional measures ordered by the court on January 26, 2024.

In her opinion, Sebutinde argued that the dispute between Israel and Palestine is essentially and historically a political one that is not suitable for judicial settlement.

She also stated that South Africa had not demonstrated the necessary genocidal intent on Israel’s part.

The ICJ statute specifies that a judge cannot be dismissed unless the other members of the court unanimously agree that they have ceased to fulfill the required conditions.
The statute also states that ICJ members are not delegates of their home countries and must make a solemn declaration to exercise their powers impartially.