Human rights lawyer Francesca Albanese on life under US sanctions - podcast

UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, discussed the war in Gaza, living under US sanctions, and accusations of antisemitism in a podcast. In July of the previous year, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Albanese due to her engagement with the international criminal court. This action placed her in the company of figures like Vladimir Putin and Bashir al-Assad. The article notes that Albanese experienced a brief period of relief from these sanctions this month.

The US government has reinstated sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN's expert on the occupied Palestinian territory. This action follows a temporary injunction that had previously removed her from the Specially Designated Nationals list. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control updated its website to reflect Albanese's re-designation. The Trump administration had initially sanctioned Albanese in July 2025, accusing her of "lawfare" and biased activities against Israel, particularly after she recommended the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials. These sanctions prohibit her from entering the US, freeze her assets, and prevent US entities from conducting business with her. Albanese's family had filed a lawsuit arguing the sanctions disrupted her life.