Jurists call for removal of ICJ judge Sebutinde over pro-Israel bias

In a letter to ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa, the commission raised “serious concern” over Sebutinde’s remarks at Watoto Church in Kampala, Uganda, on August 10.

Speaking to the congregation, she declared, “The Lord is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel. The whole world was against Israel, including my country.”

Sebutinde described Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza as a sign of the Biblical “End Times,” adding,… I am humbled that God has allowed me to be part of the last days.”

“I want to be on the right side of history. I am convinced that time is running out,” she said.

The letter warned that such words are “profoundly damaging” to the court’s impartiality, propriety, and integrity.

The jurists called for Sebutinde’s immediate removal from the South Africa versus Israel genocide case and any other case related to Israel and Palestine.

The Commission cited the UN Basic Principles on Judicial Independence, which require judges to decide matters “impartially, on the basis of facts and in accordance with the law, without any improper influences.”

The open letter stated that while Sebutinde has the right to freedom of expression, judges are bound to exercise that right in a manner consistent with their office, adding “Justice must not merely be done but must also be seen to be done.”

In January 2024, Sebutinde was the only judge on a 17-member ICJ panel that ruled there exists a "plausible risk" that Israel was committing a genocide in Gaza, voting against all six measures adopted by the court.

And in July 2024, she was again the sole dissenter in the 15-judge panel that found Israel's decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories "unlawful".

She was later accused of directly lifting sentences almost word for word in her dissenting opinion written on July 19, 2024, including from pro-Israel sources, a column written by a former US official, as well as from Wikipedia and the BBC.

A study done by a Palestinian researcher alleged that “at least 32 percent of Sebutinde’s dissent was plagiarised.”

Uganda’s government has distanced itself from Sebutinde’s positions, clarifying that her rulings reflect only her personal views.