Over the past 18 months, Julia Sebutinde has been clear on her view of the legality of Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The Ugandan judge, who is the vice president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), stated her legal opinion on two occasions last year.
In January 2024, when a 17-member ICJ panel ruled it was “plausible” that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, Sebutinde was the only judge to vote against all six provisional measures adopted by the court.
Six months later, she was the only dissenting voice when a 15-judge panel found that Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories was “unlawful”.
She has faced criticism over her positions, including from her own government.
Sebutinde spoke publicly on the issue for the first time a few days ago, during an event at Watoto Church in Kampala. ….more
