US Treasury lifts sanctions against UN rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese

US Treasury lifts sanctions against UN rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese Submitted by MEE staff on 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) Off 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...

Original source: Middle East Eye