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| Francesca Albanese targeted for documenting Israel’s human rights abuses |
The United States has imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a United Nations special rapporteur, for her vocal criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, which she has described as a “genocide.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, accusing Albanese of waging a “campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel.
Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, has been a prominent advocate for Palestinian rights, consistently highlighting human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel and its supporters have long criticized her and called for her removal from her UN position.
In response to the sanctions, Albanese told Al Jazeera that she remains focused on her work, dismissing the US move as “mafia-style intimidation techniques.” She stated, “I am busy reminding UN member states of their obligation to stop genocide and hold those responsible accountable, as well as those profiting from it.”
The sanctions, enacted under an executive order by President Donald Trump, freeze any assets Albanese may have in the US and bar her and her immediate family from entering the country. Earlier on Wednesday, Albanese criticized European governments for allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces war crime charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), to use their airspace for travel.
