US removes UN expert Francesca Albanese from sanctions list

Published 21 May, 2026 12:47pm 2 min read
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. -- Reuters
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. -- Reuters

The United States has removed Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian ​territories, from its list of sanctioned individuals, according to the ‌US Treasury Department website.

The removal comes a week after a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by ​imposing the measures after she criticised the US ally Israel’s war ​in Gaza.

Here are the details:

Albanese is an Italian lawyer ⁠who is UN special rapporteur on the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

In that ​role, she had recommended the International Criminal Court pursue war-crimes prosecutions against ​Israeli and American nationals.

She also authored a report accusing major US companies of complicity in what she called Israel’s “ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza.”

The US imposed sanctions ​on Albanese in July 2025 over what it said were her ​efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to take action against US and Israeli ‌officials, ⁠companies, and executives.

The sanctions had barred her from entering the US and banking there.

Albanese’s husband and daughter, who is a US citizen, sued the Trump administration in February.

US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington ​found on May ​13 that Albanese’s ⁠residency outside the US does not undercut her protections under the First Amendment of the US Constitution ​and that the Trump administration sought to regulate her ​speech because ⁠of the “idea or message expressed.”

Following the ruling, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control said it would not implement or enforce the sanctions ⁠against Albanese ​while the order remained in effect.

The ​US State Department and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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