UN Rights Council Condemns US Sanctions on Francesca Albanese over Palestine Reporting
GENEVA – The head of the UN Human Rights Council, Jürg Lauber, strongly criticized the United States on Thursday for imposing sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. The move, Lauber said, undermines the independence and integrity of the UN’s human rights mechanisms.
“I regret the decision of the United States Government to impose sanctions on Ms. Francesca Albanese,” Lauber said in a statement. He emphasized that Special Rapporteurs, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, are vital to the Council’s mission to protect and promote human rights globally. “They must be able to carry out their mandates independently and without fear of intimidation or retaliation,” he added.
Albanese, who has been outspoken in her documentation of Zionist human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, was sanctioned Wednesday by Washington over what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as “illegitimate and shameful efforts” to prompt International Criminal Court (ICC) action against American and Zionist officials, companies, and executives.
Rubio accused Albanese of waging a “campaign of political and economic warfare” against the United States and the zionist entity, warning that such actions “will no longer be tolerated.”
The sanctions follow the release of a report by Albanese last week naming major tech companies—including Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, and Palantir—for facilitating the Zionist occupation of Palestinian land. According to the report, these companies provide surveillance technologies, military systems, and logistical infrastructure that help sustain an illegal occupation.
In his response, Lauber urged all UN member states to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter by cooperating with Special Rapporteurs and refraining from any acts of reprisal. “These experts play an indispensable role in the international human rights system. Undermining their independence threatens the credibility and effectiveness of our collective efforts,” he warned.
The United States’ decision has drawn widespread criticism from international legal experts and human rights advocates, who accuse Washington of shielding the Zionist entity from accountability despite mounting evidence of war crimes and human rights abuses. Since October 2023, Zionist aggression on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 57,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.
Albanese, whose mandate includes monitoring the situation in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, has faced repeated threats and political pressure since assuming her role, particularly over her calls for accountability under international law
