TEHRAN – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Law and International, Kazem Gallibabadi has denounced the vice-president of International Court of Justice (ICJ) Julia Cebuchinde for “a shocking violation of judicial ethics.”
In a post on X on Saturday, Galibabadi said Cebuchinde, a regime that faces multiple cases before the ICJ, has acknowledged a “blatant bias” that “destroys the ICJ’s reliability and violates the fundamental principles of judicial fairness.”
Following Cebuchinde’s remarks at a church event held in Uganda on August 10th, replied, “The Lord relies on me to stand by Israel,” adding that “the whole world opposed Israel, including my country.”
She further argued that “sacred signs of the end of the world” appeared in Western Asia, framing judicial opposition as a dogmatic declaration.
Cebuchinde, the only African judge on the ICJ Bench, has repeatedly isolated himself through controversial opinions in favour of the Israeli regime.
In 2023, she opposed all six interim measures ordering Israel to prevent the Gaza genocide, despite a court’s 16-1 ruling that Israel’s actions were “plausible” genocide.
In July 2024, she was once again standing alone in a 15-1 ruling declaring the Israeli regime’s decades of occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.
Her position elicited accusations of ideological bias by her approval of campaigning for the Vice President of the ICJ while issuing these rulings, and by speculation that Mossad may have threatened her.
Uganda quickly distanced herself from her stance. Uganda’s permanent UN representative, Adonia Ayabale, revealed in X that “Judge Cebuchinde’s decision does not represent the Ugandan government’s position on Palestine.”
Uganda’s Foreign Ministry highlighted a consistent UN vote in favour of Palestinian rights, labeling Cebuchinde’s view as “independent” and misunderstood.
Cebuchinde’s comments are consistent with the systemic war crimes of the Israeli regime and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 61,000 Palestinians (virtually women and children) and expelled 1.9 million people (90% of Gaza’s population).
A recent Human Rights Watch report documented Israel’s “large and intentional forced evacuation” and “wide-scale destruction” and “wide-scale destruction” of private infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and cultural sites.
The UN Human Rights Council supports these findings, pointing to the “intentional” dismantling of Israel in 90% of Gaza schools and 53% of religious sites, which constitutes “extinction” as a crime against humanity.
Israel also weaponized starvation, blocked sufficient aid, and destroyed farmland and bakeries. HRW emphasized this policy as “equipmentation of essential items” to collectively punish Gazan.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) moved to hold Israeli officials accountable, but in November 2024 Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Joav Gallant filed a warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel and its allies have put pressure on the ICC by withholding diplomatic threats and cooperation. Since 2014, court missions to cover crimes in Palestine have faced systematic challenges, including threats from officials.