ALBAWABA - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Tuesday the appointment of Judge Julia Sebutinde as the Vice President of ICJ causing a wide controversy online.
In a statement, the ICJ said to have appointed Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam as the new president of the court. Salam has been a member of the court since 2018 and previously served as Beirut’s envoy to the United Nations.
According to ICJ, Vice President Sebutinde has been a Member of the Court since 6 February 2012. Before joining the Court, Sebutinde was a judge at the Special Court for Sierra Leone from 2005 to 2011.
Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam will now be overseeing South Africa's "genocidal intent case" against Israel in the Hague court.
ICJ press release of the appointment of Judge Julia Sebutinde as VP. (ICJ/X)
Activists slam appointment of Judge Julia Sebutinde as ICJ VP
Many Pro-Palestinian activists have decried the appointment of Ugandan Judge Julia Sebutinde as the vice president of the ICJ due to her position in the first court's ruling in South Africa's case against Israel.
Julia Sebutinde was the only judge who voted against all provisional measures that a UN court ordered Israel to undertake in a case brought by South Africa concerning the war in the Gaza Strip.
An activist commented on the appointment of Judge Julia Sebutinde and wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "In news that shows the contempt of this world and its bias towards the strongest and the darkest."
South Africa filed on Dec. 29 a case accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention. The first public hearings at the Peace Palace in the Hague took place on the 11 and 12 of January.
After hearing, the ICJ found South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide plausible and released an interim order calling on Israel to ease aid deliveries into Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation.
