US Sanctions Francesca Albanese for Her Advocacy for Gaza

In a significant escalation of tensions, the United States under the Trump administration has imposed targeted sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced punitive measures on Wednesday, July 9. Albanese has also received a designation as a “Specially Designated National”, barring U.S. individuals and organizations from doing business with her.

Trump's ICC decree includes asset freezes and a U.S. entry ban for the individuals and their immediate family.

Authorities assert the sanctions stem from Albanese’s advocacy at the International Criminal Court (ICC) urging investigations of Israeli and U.S. officials, which they deemed a threat to national sovereignty and a campaign of political and economic aggression.

Albanese firmly rejected the sanctions, likening the action to “mafia-style intimidation techniques” directed at silencing human rights scrutiny.

She re-emphasized, "I stand firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done.”

United Nations officials, including Human Rights Council President Jürg Lauber and OHCHR chief Volker Türk, condemned the sanctions, calling them a dangerous precedent that undermines the independence of UN mandate holders and international human rights systems.

Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Agnès Callamard condemned the move as a “shameless and transparent attack on the fundamental principles of international justice.” She urged member states to mobilize diplomatically to reverse the sanctions and protect UN mechanisms.

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