US lifts sanctions on UN expert Francesca Albanese after judge’s ruling

The United States lifted sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, a week after a federal judge ruled the measures violated her free speech.

In a brief update Wednesday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury listed Albanese’s name under the heading “International Criminal Court-related Designation Removal.”

The move followed a temporary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in response to a lawsuit filed by Albanese’s husband and daughter in February.

The lawsuit argued the sanctions punished Albanese for her public advocacy against Israel’s human rights abuses of Palestinians.

Judge Leon found that President Donald Trump’s administration sought to regulate the UN 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 her recommendation that the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense 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 Wednesday’s announcement but previously said the sanctions were “calculated to weaken my mission.”

Albanese welcomed the judge’s injunction last week in a statement 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 U.S. tech giants Microsoft, Alphabet – Google’s parent company – and Amazon.

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

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

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

Washington also sanctioned judges and prosecutors at the ICC over the court’s issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

The Hague-based court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, filed charges against the Israeli officials in 2024 for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed in Gaza.