TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States government has imposed sanctions on the United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) Francesca Albanese. The sanctions were announced on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, following continued pressure from Washington to have Albanese removed from her position.
Reported by NPR, the sanctions mark the latest move by the U.S. to silence criticism of the Israeli war that has been ongoing for nearly 21 months in Gaza. The U.S. State Department accused Albanese's reports and statements as a political and economic warfare campaign against the U.S. and Israel
Vocal Voice from Italy
Albanese is not new to human rights advocacy. Since May 2022, she, a woman who is also a human rights specialist lawyer, was assigned by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor the situation in the West Bank and Gaza. She is known for openly referring to Israel's military actions as a form of genocide against the Palestinians.
In her various reports, Albanese mentioned that major Western companies, including those from the U.S., have been funding Israel's military aggression by providing weapons, heavy equipment, and digital services. Albanese also supported the International Criminal Court (ICC) in issuing arrest warrants for several Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Accusations of genocide and corporate involvement triggered Washington's outrage. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Albanese of spreading anti-Semitic hatred and supporting terrorism. Rubio said Albanese has openly espoused anti-Semitism, expressed support for terrorism, and openly insulted the U.S., Israel, and the West.
Albanese's Profile
Francesca Albanese has a long background in migration issues, humanitarian law, and human rights. She has worked for UNRWA and the UN Human Rights Office and has been a lecturer at several European and Middle Eastern universities.
As quoted from Mint, this Italian law graduate is no stranger to the Palestinian issue. She has worked at UNRWA and the UN Human Rights Office, and she has been a researcher at Georgetown University. Her work, titled Palestinian Refugees in International Law (Oxford University Press, 2020), has become an important academic reference on the issue of Palestinian refugees. She also wrote J'Accuse (Fuoriscena, 2024), which highlights humanitarian crimes in the occupied territory.
She is also known for her firm yet measured approach. "Neutrality does not mean blindness," she wrote in one of her reports. "Justice requires taking sides based on facts, not on power."
On various occasions, including an interview with The World with Yalda Hakim, Albanese stressed that Israel's attacks on civilians cannot be justified, even as condemnation of Hamas is still conveyed. She also highlighted the pattern of torture against Palestinian detainees, including sexual violence.
"The documented gang rape at #SdeTeiman is not an isolated case—it’s part of a pattern. This is not just cruelty: inflicting severe physical or mental harm on members of a group 'as such' is a constitutive element of genocide," she wrote.
Although she holds the position of special rapporteur, Albanese is part of a small group of 13 people appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor the situation in specific countries. In addition to Palestine, rapporteurs are also assigned to Myanmar, Iran, Eritrea, and North Korea.
Since the beginning of her term, Albanese has often been the target of criticism from pro-Israel groups. However, this is the first time the U.S. sanctions her. Formally, special rapporteurs like Albanese are not official representatives of the UN and do not have executive authority. However, their reports are often crucial references for international institutions such as the ICC and global humanitarian organizations. That is why these sanctions have drawn criticism from various parties.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk even called for the immediate lifting of the sanctions against Albanese. He questioned why she was sanctioned "for having exposed a genocide? For having denounced the system? They never challenged me on the facts."
In a press conference in Slovenia, Albanese referred to the sanctions as an attempt to weaken her mandate. "I’ll continue to do what I have to do," she said.
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