Uganda disowns Judge Julia Sebutinde for voting in support of Israel at ICJ

Judge Julia Sebutinde, who voted against all interim rulings against Israel given by a UN top court in connection with a South African complaint over the Gaza genocide, has been cut off from Uganda.

“Justice Sebutinde ruling at the ICJ (the International Court of Justice) does not represent the Government of Uganda’s position on the situation in Palestine,” Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Adonia Ayebare, wrote on X. “Uganda’s support for the plight of the Palestinian people has been expressed through our voting pattern at the United Nations.”

On December 29, South Africa brought Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on charges of committing genocide against Palestinians.

The ICJ ruled on Friday that South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide is valid. According to Quds News Network, the court ordered Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries and to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza in an interim ruling.

Sebutinde abstained from voting on all six of the ICJ's propositions. She is currently receiving backlash for her vote from people all around the world, with some social media users saying Ugandans should be ashamed.

“Judge Julia Sebutinde is such an embarrassment to her country & a disgrace to humanity. She didn’t just vote against S Africa’s petition, she voted against reason & morality, justice & freedom, love & compassion. She voted against the very soul of humanity,” one Kenyan user wrote on X.

“Julia Sebutinde is a disgrace to all of us in Africa, more especially African women. She demonstrated that she is nothing else, but a paid-up agent of the criminal Zionist Entity of Israel,” wrote another.

Sebutinde was the only judge to rule against Israel's emergency orders.

Nevertheless, the UN court ordered Israel to take all necessary actions to prevent genocide within the embattled enclave, regardless of her verdict.