US lifts sanctions on Francesca Albanese, UN expert on Palestinian rights

The United States has removed sanctions against the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, a week after a federal judge said the measures restricted her freedom of speech.

In a brief update on its website on Wednesday, the US Department of the Treasury listed Albanese’s name under the heading: “International Criminal Court-related Designation Removal”.

The announcement comes after US District Judge Richard Leon issued a temporary injunction against the sanctions in response to a case filed by Albanese’s husband and daughter in February.

The lawsuit argued that the sanctions were imposed as a punishment for her public advocacy against Israel’s human rights abuses of Palestinians.

Leon found that President Donald Trump’s administration had sought to regulate ‌the United Nations expert’s speech because of the “idea or message expressed”.

The Trump administration imposed the sanctions after accusing Albanese of “biased and malicious activities” and “lawfare,” including recommending that the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant.

“It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions – they are nothing more than her opinion,” Leon said in his decision.

Albanese did not immediately respond to the announcement on Wednesday, but previously said the sanctions were “calculated to weaken my mission”.

Albanese welcomed the judge’s injunction last week in a statement posted on X, thanking her husband and daughter for “stepping up to defend me” and “everyone who has helped so far”.

The Treasury Department imposed the sanctions in July after Albanese published a report accusing 48 companies of complicity in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, including US tech giants Microsoft, Alphabet – Google’s parent company – and Amazon.

Albanese has served as the UN rapporteur since May 2022, as one of several independent human rights experts appointed by members of the UN Human Rights Council.

Under Trump, Washington has wielded sanctions to pressure advocates for Palestinians and other progressive causes, including action on climate change.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration on four activists participating in flotillas attempting to break Israel’s siege on Gaza, alleging, without evidence, that the organisers were trying to reach the Palestinian territory “in support of Hamas”.