UN Expert Francesca Albanese Sanctioned by US: Background, Reactions, and Implications

The United States government has imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a United Nations human rights expert known for scrutinizing Israeli conduct in the Palestinian territories. Albanese, who serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, was added to a U.S. sanctions list in an unprecedented move targeting a UN-appointed independent expert.

U.S. officials, under the Trump administration, accuse Albanese of anti-Israel bias and sympathies for extremist groups – allegations she firmly denies. The sanctions were announced amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza and have sparked widespread condemnation from the UN, NGOs, and international legal advocates, who warn that punishing a UN investigator sets a dangerous precedent.

Background and Professional Career

Francesca Albanese, 48, is an Italian international lawyer and academic with more than two decades of experience in human rights and refugee law. She holds a law degree from the University of Pisa and an LL.M. in Human Rights from SOAS, University of London.

She began her career working with various UN agencies including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), focusing on legal protections for displaced populations. In 2015, Albanese became an affiliate scholar at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration and has taught at universities across Europe and the Middle East.

She co-authored a widely respected book on Palestinian refugees in international law and has published extensively on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2022, she became the first woman appointed as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Her Role at the United Nations

Mandate and Mission

As UN Special Rapporteur, Albanese is tasked with independently reporting on human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. While her role is advisory and not representative of the UN as a whole, her reports carry significant moral and political weight.

Key Reports and Statements

Since her appointment, Albanese has issued strong critiques of Israel’s occupation policies. In her inaugural report, she described Israel’s rule over Palestinians as apartheid and urged the international community to take concrete action to end the occupation.

Following the October 2023 outbreak of war in Gaza, she issued multiple warnings, describing the humanitarian crisis as approaching “ethnic cleansing.” By March 2024, she formally reported that Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to genocide.

Her July 2025 report identified over 60 global corporations—many U.S.-based—that she said were profiting from or enabling Israeli military operations and settlement expansion. She accused them of aiding what she termed “a lucrative genocide.”

Albanese has also supported the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes and welcomed arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.

U.S. Sanctions: Context and Justification

Announcement and Legal Basis

The U.S. announced sanctions against Albanese on July 9, 2025, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She was added to the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. This action, based on Executive Order 14203, enables the freezing of her U.S.-based assets and restricts transactions with her by U.S. entities. It also imposes travel bans.

This executive order was originally crafted to target ICC officials pursuing cases against U.S. or allied nationals and had already been used weeks earlier to sanction ICC judges investigating Israeli officials.

Allegations by the U.S.

The Trump administration accused Albanese of promoting “lawfare” against Israel and the United States. Secretary Rubio alleged that she expressed antisemitic views, supported terrorism, and incited prosecutions through illegitimate means.

Rubio singled out her advocacy at the ICC and her criticism of European governments for allowing Netanyahu’s travel despite the ICC arrest warrant as key reasons for the sanction. The administration had reportedly pressured the UN to remove her, and when that failed, moved forward with unilateral sanctions.

Albanese’s Response

Defiance and Resolve

Albanese responded defiantly, stating that the sanctions were “calculated to weaken my mission” but vowed to continue her work. Speaking from Slovenia, she asked rhetorically, “Why am I being sanctioned? For having exposed a genocide?”

On social media, she denounced the move as “mafia-style intimidation” and said the sanctions were a sign that she had “hit a nerve.” She called on the international community to remain focused on Gaza, where she says the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

Focus on Victims, Not Intimidation

Albanese dismissed the sanctions as crude and ineffective, emphasizing that her priority remains documenting abuses and advocating for Palestinian civilians. She reiterated her belief that justice and accountability must not be compromised by political pressure.

UN and Institutional Reactions

Condemnation from the United Nations

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for a prompt reversal of the sanctions, stating that UN member states should engage constructively, not punitively.

The Secretary-General’s spokesperson noted that the move “sets a dangerous precedent” and that special rapporteurs are independent and should not be subject to unilateral penalties. Switzerland, which chaired the Human Rights Council, expressed “deep regret” over the decision.

Special Procedures Committee Response

The Coordination Committee of Special Procedures—a collective body of UN experts—issued a rare and forceful condemnation. They warned that the U.S. action was an attack on the UN system, praising Albanese for “speaking truth to power” despite threats and coordinated attacks.

They emphasized that “sanctions will not silence Albanese or other mandate holders,” and called on the global community to defend the integrity of the UN human rights system.

Global and NGO Reactions

Support from Human Rights Organizations

Amnesty International condemned the sanctions as a “shameless and transparent attack” on international justice. Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said Albanese’s work is essential, particularly during a humanitarian crisis of this scale.

Human Rights Watch echoed the concern, stating that the U.S. was trying to silence a UN expert for doing her job. Their former director, Kenneth Roth, described the sanctions as an attempt to shield Israeli officials from accountability.

The Center for International Policy described the U.S. move as “rogue state behavior” and a threat to international law.

Divided Governmental Responses

Some governments, particularly in the Global South, have expressed concern about the precedent this sets. UN experts warned that this could embolden authoritarian states to target rapporteurs investigating their own abuses.

The European Union has yet to issue a formal statement, while Italy—Albanese’s home country—has remained diplomatically quiet. However, some Italian lawmakers have criticized the U.S. move as an attack on national sovereignty.

Celebration in Israel and Among Allies

Israeli officials welcomed the U.S. decision. Israel’s ambassador to the UN called Albanese’s work “political warfare,” and pro-Israel organizations in the U.S. also supported the sanction, having long accused her of bias and antisemitism.

Implications for International Justice

A Dangerous Precedent

Sanctioning a UN rapporteur is widely viewed as undermining the independence and credibility of the international human rights system. Experts fear it may discourage others from exposing human rights abuses in politically sensitive contexts.

There is concern that the move blurs the line between disagreement and retaliation, effectively punishing those who document violations under international law.

Impact on the Israel-Palestine Conflict

The sanctions highlight a broader struggle between efforts to seek justice for Palestinians and geopolitical efforts to shield Israel from scrutiny. Albanese’s critics view her work as biased, while her supporters see it as principled advocacy for civilian victims.

With over 57,000 Palestinians reported killed in Gaza since October 2023, calls for accountability have intensified. Albanese’s work has been pivotal in framing the situation as genocide and mobilizing international legal action.