A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked US sanctions against Francesca ​Albanese, a UN expert on the ‌Palestinian territories, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by imposing the measures ​after she criticised US ally Israel’s war in ​Gaza.

The sanctions barred her from entering the ⁠US and banking there. Albanese, an Italian ​lawyer who is the UN special rapporteur on the ​Israel-occupied Palestinian territories, recommended the International Criminal Court pursue war-crimes prosecutions against Israeli and American nationals.

Albanese’s husband ​and daughter, who is a US ​citizen, sued the Trump administration in February, alleging that the ‌US ⁠sanctions are “effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life.”

US District Judge Richard Leon in ​Washington found ​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.”

Albanese has described sanctions as part of a broader US strategy to weaken international accountability mechanisms.