US Treasury lifts sanctions against UN rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese
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Thu, 05/21/2026 - 10:23
The move was confirmed after a federal judge found the restrictions likely violated Albanese's free speech rights
Francesca Albanese at a news conference in Geneva on the human rights situation in Gaza, on 15 September 2025 (AFP)
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The US has lifted sanctions against the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, after a federal judge found that the Trump administration likely violated her free speech rights.
The US Treasury Department confirmed the removal of Albanese's name from its sanctions list in an update on its website on Wednesday, under the heading “International Criminal Court-related Designation Removal”.
The move came a week after US district judge Richard Leon issued a temporary injunction against the sanctions, finding that the Trump administration had sought to regulate Albanese's speech because of the "idea or message expressed".
In an opinion granting the preliminary injunction, Leon said "protecting the freedom of speech is 'always' in the public interest".
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed in February by Albanese's husband, Massimiliano Cali, a senior economist for the World Bank in Tunisia, which argued that the measures were intended as a punishment for her public criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The civil complaint argued that the administration unreasonably seized Albanese's property without due process, violated sanctions laws and effectively debanked her, making it nearly impossible for her to meet the needs of her daily life.
As a result of the sanction, the UN expert was barred from entering the US and banking there.
The Trump administration sanctioned Albanese in July 2025 over what it described as her "biased and malicious activities", including recommending that the International Criminal Court take action against the US and Israeli officials, companies and executives.
US federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN's Francesca Albanese
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In his ruling, Leon found that Albanese's recommendations had "no binding effect on the ICC's actions" and that they "are nothing more than her opinion".
The sanctions were imposed shortly after Albanese published a report naming over 60 companies – including Google, Amazon and Microsoft – that she said were involved in "the transformation of Israel’s economy of occupation into an economy of genocide".
The report called for the ICC and national judicial systems to pursue investigations and prosecute corporate executives and companies. It also called on the United Nations' member states to pursue sanctions and asset freeze.
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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