International Court of Justice Judge Julia Sebutinde, who was disowned by Uganda for her pro-Israel stance in the genocide case submitted by South Africa last month, was elected as the vice-president of the World Court on Feb. 6.
Sebutinde will be serving a three-year term, according to a statement by the ICJ.
She has been a member of the ICJ since February 2012 and she served as a judge at the Special Court for Sierra Leone from 2005 to 2011.
Uganda distanced itself Friday from Sebutinde, who voted against all provisional measures that the ICJ ordered Israel to undertake in a case brought by South Africa concerning the war in the Gaza Strip.
"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 U.N., 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.”
South Africa, dragged Israel to the Hague-based ICJ on Dec. 29 on charges of genocide against Palestinians.
The ICJ found South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide plausible. The court issued an interim order urging Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation.
Sebutinde voted against all six measures of the ICJ. She is now facing the wrath of the world for her vote with several social media users saying that Ugandans should be embarrassed.
"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 sole judge who ruled against emergency orders against Israel.
But despite her vote, the U.N. court ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide in the besieged enclave.
