On the initiative of the American Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the United States have announced a series of penalties Against the United Nations senator Francesca Albaneseprominent figure in monitoring of human rights in the Palestinian territories and note for using The term genocide to define what happens in Palestinian territory. In particular, the patrimonial block and the retreat of the visa was imposed in Albanese, with the consequent impossibility of entering the USA.
It is a controversial measure – which reports the growing tension between the commitment for human rights and current geopolitical interests – and very rare to be aimed at an UN official. Now a battle is looming between those who support the independence of the senator and those who think that the neutrality required by his mandate has been overcome.
Who is Francesca Albanese and what the UN rapporteur does for Palestine
Francesca Albanese He was born in Ariano Irpino, in the province of Avellino, on March 30, 1977 In addition to being a teacher and researcher in international law and migration in European and Arabic universities, for about 10 years He worked as an expert for the UNspecifically at theOhchr (High Commissioner for Human Rights) El ‘UNRWA (UN agency for Palestinian refugees).
In May 2022 it was named UN special speaker on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territorieswith an initial deadline 2025 then renewed, and is The first woman to hold this assignment. Has presented relationships of great impact, such as “Anatomy of a genocide“(March 2024), in which he denounces Israeli actions in Gaza as possible genocide, also accusing the international community of being an accomplice, having remained silent.
More recently, however, he has also published a report With the names of the complicit companies of the slaughter of Palestinian civilians, and in this “business of the genocide” – to resume the words of Albanian – many US names stand out, such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft. A report that certainly did not go down to the American government, and that from meandering malhumore has been made in the shape of sanctions.
The accusations and sections by the United States against Francesca Albanese
The US Treasury Department imposed Personal penalties against Francesca Albanese on 9 July 2025accusing it of:
- Systematically spread false accusations against Israel;
- Discredit the legitimate defense of Israel After the attacks of 7 October 2023, claimed by Hamas;
- Having used its UN role to promote a hostile agenda to the Jewish state;
- Judgments considered anti -Semitesaccording to some USA and Israeli Jewish organizations, in particular for its language regarding the “Israeli Apartheid” and the “in place” in Gaza.
The imposed sanctions provide for the freezing of goods and bank accounts possibly present in the USA, the prohibition of entry In the United States, the ban for citizens and the US institutions to have financial relationships or collaborations with her, but also a potential academic and diplomatic insulation at an international level (depending on the reactions of other countries).
These are measures that are making a lot of discussion, being particularly controversial for an UN official – belonging to An international organization with almost-government powers and tools – which operates outside of specific national borders.
What could happen now
The Albanian senator said of not be surpriseddefining sanctions as “an attack on freedom of speech and truth”. The UN defended itunderlining that a special speaker acts as independent expert And it does not represent the political positions of the United Nations. Many activists, academics and NGOs have accused the US of trying to intimidate Who denounces war crimes. Today, therefore, a delicate phase opens: in fact possible pressures are feared to do it remove from assignment; A possible dissuasive effect on other UN independent experts and therefore a lack of freedom of speech and opinion; An increase in polarization on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict also in legal level.
