Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese
TL;DR
A federal judge has blocked US sanctions against UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who criticized US policy on Israel. The sanctions were imposed in July 2025 after Albanese's public statements on the situation in Gaza.
Key points
- Federal judge blocks US sanctions against Francesca Albanese
- Albanese criticized US policy on Israel's actions in Gaza
- Sanctions were imposed in July 2025
- Lawsuit filed by Albanese's family against the Trump administration
- Judge found sanctions aimed to regulate her speech
Mentioned in this story
A federal judge has temporarily blocked United States sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a United Nations expert on the occupied Palestinian territory.
UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was sanctioned in July 2025 after she publicly criticised Washington’s policy on Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
Albanese’s husband and daughter filed a lawsuit in February against the Trump administration over the sanctions. It argued that the sanctions were an effort to punish Albanese for bringing attention to Israel’s rights abuses against Palestinians.
In his court order on Wednesday, US District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions.
He found that the Trump administration sought to regulate her speech because of the “idea or message expressed”.
“Albanese has done nothing more than speak,” judge Leon wrote in his memorandum opinion. “It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions – they are nothing more than her opinion.”
Albanese, who said the US sanctions were “calculated to weaken my mission” when they were first imposed, celebrated the ruling on social media.
“Thanks to my daughter and my husband for stepping up to defend me, and everyone who has helped so far,” Albanese said in a statement on X.
“Together we are One.”
Since 2022, Albanese, a legal scholar, has served as the special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, where she monitors human rights abuses against Palestinians. The UN Human Rights Council selected her for the position.
The Trump administration sanctioned her last July, calling her “unfit” for her role and accusing her of “biased and malicious activities” against the US and its ally, Israel. Albanese had also recommended that the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursue war crimes prosecutions against Israeli and US nationals.
The sanctions barred the Italian lawyer and human rights expert from entering the US, using US banks and payment systems, and prevented anyone else in the US from doing business with her.
Albanese’s husband and her daughter, a US citizen, claimed in the lawsuit that the US sanctions were “effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life”.
Q&A
What were the reasons behind the sanctions against Francesca Albanese?
Francesca Albanese was sanctioned for publicly criticizing US policy on Israel's actions in Gaza, which the sanctions aimed to punish.
Who filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration regarding the sanctions?
Albanese's husband and daughter filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration in February, claiming the sanctions were retaliatory.
What did Judge Richard Leon's court order state about the sanctions?
Judge Richard Leon's court order granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions, stating they sought to regulate Albanese's speech based on the message expressed.
