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6d ago

U.S. Removes Sanctions on UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese

A federal injunction found the designation likely violated her First Amendment rights, leaving the listing subject to a government appeal to the D.C. Circuit.

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, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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Overview

  • The Treasury Department removed Albanese from its sanctions list on May 21 after a U.S. district judge granted a preliminary injunction that blocked enforcement of the designation.
  • Judge Richard Leon wrote that the sanctions likely punished Albanese’s protected speech as a U.N. special rapporteur, prompting OFAC to stop enforcing the measures while the order stands.
  • The Trump administration sanctioned Albanese in July 2025 for publicly urging ICC and national probes and for sending letters naming more than 60 companies, with Secretary Marco Rubio accusing her of antisemitism.
  • Albanese and her family had sued in February, saying the sanctions caused concrete harm such as debanking, travel bans, lost university ties, and denial of insurance payments.
  • The State Department says the Treasury move is a temporary legal result and has appealed, a step that keeps open the prospect the designation could be restored if the D.C. Circuit overturns the injunction.