Julia Ssebutinde- A Woman Of Conscience

It does not really matter what one thinks of what Justice Julia Ssebutinde of the International Court of Justice says in her rulings, which are legion. For a few days last year, she probably was the most disliked woman in Uganda, and likely the whole world. Her crime? She dared rule against motions brought before the court by South Africa, pertaining to the war between Israel and Hamas.

All the other justices (except one, who is from Israel) agreed with the petition, and allowed what South Africa had asked for. In the majority ruling, the court ordered Israel ‘to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it wages war against Hamas’.

But Justice Ssebutinde disagreed, and gave her reasons, which in essence were that whatever the court decided was not going to stop the war. Other means, mainly political ones, had a better chance at that.

And for that, she was called names, and a Ugandan government minister went on record disassociating the government from her ruling. He missed the small fact that judges do not represent any constituency but their own, and make judgements based on their views and convictions, not because of the village they come from.

That was not the first time that Justice Ssebutinde went against popular opinion in her rulings. While a judge in Uganda, she headed three different commissions of inquiry into corruption in government departments, starting with the Uganda Police Force in 1999. Her tough questioning of police officers otherwise seen as ‘untouchables’ became something of a sensation, but for some reason the law fraternity did not like what she was doing. But she ignored them and did what she thought was right.

She would head two more commissions of inquiry into corruption, the Uganda Revenue Authority (2002) and the Uganda People’s Defense Force (2000).  None of the recommendations of the reports have ever been implemented, or even made public, but the sheer fact that powerful men and women were asked to account for their activities was a gamechanger in Uganda, and the judge made some powerful enemies. But again, she remained unbowed and did what she believed was the right thing.

After helping set up a new judicial system in Namibia that replaced the apartheid laws, and presiding at the Sierra Leone Special Court that, among others, tried the former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor, Ssebutinde was elected by the United Nations to the International Court of Justice for a 9-year term (she got an absolute majority in both the Security Council and the General Assembly).

Among other outstanding achievements of this diminutive judge (she is barely 5 feet tall) are being responsible for drafting and amendment of the treaties establishing the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) (1980-1990).

Julia Ssebutinde was the first African woman to serve on the ICJ, and was elected for a second term in 2021. In February this year, she was elected for a 3-year term as the Vice president of the ICJ. Ironically, the government of Uganda congratulated her on the appointment.

While one may not agree with some of the rulings Justice Julia Ssebutinde has done, she is to be admired for her trailblazing role as an international woman lawyer who has broken many glass ceilings, and not compromised her beliefs and convictions. Indeed, she is a woman of conscience.