U.S. imposes sanctions on U.N. official for her investigating of Israel over Gaza
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Punished for the truth: US sanctions UN official for exposing Israeli atrocities, Washington’s complicity
Wednesday, 09 July 2025 9:28 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 10 July 2025 1:10 AM ]
The United States has decided to impose sanctions on a noted and outspoken UN rights official over her outright criticism and exposure of the Israeli regime’s acts of deadly aggression and Washington’s unstinting support for the atrocities.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had decided to impose punitive measures against Francesa Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories.
Rubio accused Albanese of having tried to prompt the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the regime’s former minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant.
The tribunal issued the warrants last November over the duo’s war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, where the regime has been waging a strongly-US-supported war of genocide since October 2023.
Prior to the court’s issuance of the warrants, Albanese had authored a landmark report to the UN Human Rights Council, stating that the regime’s military operations in Gaza displayed "prima facie evidence of an intention to systematically destroy Palestinians as a group." The atrocities, she had added, effectively indicated genocide under the UN’s Genocide Convention.
The run-up to authorization of the warrants also saw her propose that the UN consider suspending the regime’s membership for its deadly violations.
She has consistently used the term genocide in multiple reports, including by condemning the regime for carrying out one of “the cruelest genocides in modern history,” and declaring Gaza a “laboratory” for Israeli weapons.
During a UN session last month, she urged a full arms embargo, plus sanctions and divestment against state and corporate supporters of the regime.
She specifically named scores of companies, including Lockheed Martin, Palantir, Caterpillar, Volvo, BNP Paribas, Barclays, Pimco, and Vanguard, denouncing them for facilitating an “economy of genocide”
Rubio further claimed that Albanese had been trying to instigate punitive action by the court against American officials and companies, calling the alleged efforts “illegitimate and shameful.”
“Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated,” he added.
The American official, meanwhile, vowed that Washington would keep standing by the regime in its “right to self-defense.”
The United States has poured billions of dollars in military aid into the regime’s coffers to be used towards reinforcement of the genocide that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 57,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Washington has also been lending the genocide unwavering political support by shielding Tel Aviv against punitive UN action.
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Letting Israel attack Iran again then fuxk with Pakistan
US sanctions UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese following 'economy of genocide' report
Marco Rubio denounces the Italian human rights scholar for urging ICC action against Israel and the USThe US imposed sanctions on Wednesday on the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese.
The sanctions follow Albanese's scathing report on 30 June in which she named over 60 companies, including major US technology firms like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, which she said were involved in "the transformation of Israel's economy of occupation to an economy of genocide".
The report called for the International Criminal Court and national judicial systems to pursue investigations and prosecutions of corporate executives and companies. It also called on United Nations member states to pursue sanctions and asset freezes.
“Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt @IntlCrimCourt action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on X on Wednesday.
"Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense,” Rubio added.The sanctions will freeze any assets Albanese has in the US and would likely restrict her ability to travel to the US.
Albanese is an Italian citizen. If the sanctions are fully enforced, they could also prohibit her from engaging in financial transactions within the European Union. US sanctions carry weight because the US can impose secondary sanctions on entities, such as banks or financial institutions, which conduct transactions with the sanctioned individual. Unlike Iran or North Korea, the EU is deeply wired into the US economy.
In a subsequent statement, Rubio said Albanese was engaging in "economic warfare" against the US.
Rubio said Albanese had written "threatening letters to dozens of entities worldwide, including major American companies across finance, technology, defense, energy, and hospitality, making extreme and unfounded accusations and recommending the ICC pursue investigations and prosecutions of these companies and their executives".
'Getting rich out of genocide'
In a forthcoming exclusive interview with Middle East Eye, Albanese slammed US and European companies that she said were profiting off of Israel's war on Gaza."It's not the Israelis [who] are getting rich out of the genocide, it is that there are corporations, and there is an oligarchy connected to the defence industry, including in Europe and in the US, getting rich out of the genocide," she told MEE.
UN rapporteur: Tech firms and corporations profiting from Israeli 'economy of genocide'
The report did not focus solely on US-domiciled companies but included Caterpillar, Airbnb, and Lockheed Martin. South Korea’s HD Hyundai, Sweden’s Volvo Group, France's BNP Paribas and the UK's Barclays were also listed.
The sanctions announcement coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, DC this week. Rubio and Netanyahu met on Wednesday.
One US official who spoke with MEE after the sanctions were announced called the move "in keeping with the administration's policies", saying it had been expected.
Albanese has emerged as one of the most prominent UN officials to criticise Israel's war on Gaza, which she has labelled a genocide against Palestinians. She has also levelled broadsides against the policies of US President Donald Trump, particularly his plan announced in early February to take over the Gaza Strip and forcibly displace Palestinians.
The US, earlier this month, requested that the UN remove Albanese from her post.
Albanese declined to comment to MEE on the sanctions.
Had to go see what the UN had to say…
Not the language that speaks of “you can’t do this”
They want cooperation, reversal, let’s work and soooo on
They’re calling for the decision to be reversed, warning it could undermine the wider international human rights system.
The sanctions were announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday under a Presidential Executive Order.
Mr. Rubio alleged that Ms. Albanese had “directly engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries,” which he called a “gross infringement” on national sovereignty.
The US and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the ICC.
“Even in face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures,” he said.
The UN rights chief also called for an end to attacks and threats against mandate holders appointed by the council, as well as key institutions like the ICC.
“The solution is not less, but more, debate and dialogue on the very real human rights concerns they address,” Mr. Türk urged.
In a statement, he highlighted that Special Rapporteurs “are an essential instrument” in fulfilling the Council’s mandate and urged all nations to “fully cooperate” with them.
“I call on all UN Member States…to refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal against them,” he said.
They are independent experts appointed to monitor and report on human rights issues worldwide. These experts serve in their personal capacity, are not UN staff and receive no financial remuneration for their work.
They regularly report to the Geneva-based council as well as to the UN General Assembly in New York.
In addition to the mandate on the occupied Palestinian territory, mandates exist to monitor human rights in countries such as Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Afghanistan. In all there are 46 thematic and 14 different country-based mandates.
Not the language that speaks of “you can’t do this”
They want cooperation, reversal, let’s work and soooo on
UN calls for reversal of US sanctions on Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese
They’re calling for the decision to be reversed, warning it could undermine the wider international human rights system.
The sanctions were announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday under a Presidential Executive Order.
Mr. Rubio alleged that Ms. Albanese had “directly engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries,” which he called a “gross infringement” on national sovereignty.
The US and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the ICC.
Call for reversal
In a statement issued on Thursday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for the “prompt reversal” of the sanctions against the Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur “in response to work she has undertaken under the mandate” she is tasked with.“Even in face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures,” he said.
The UN rights chief also called for an end to attacks and threats against mandate holders appointed by the council, as well as key institutions like the ICC.
“The solution is not less, but more, debate and dialogue on the very real human rights concerns they address,” Mr. Türk urged.
Cooperation, not reprisal
Jürg Lauber, President of the UN Human Rights Council, also voiced regret over the punitive move by the US.In a statement, he highlighted that Special Rapporteurs “are an essential instrument” in fulfilling the Council’s mandate and urged all nations to “fully cooperate” with them.
“I call on all UN Member States…to refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal against them,” he said.
Independent Special Rapporteurs
Special Rapporteurs are appointed under what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.They are independent experts appointed to monitor and report on human rights issues worldwide. These experts serve in their personal capacity, are not UN staff and receive no financial remuneration for their work.
They regularly report to the Geneva-based council as well as to the UN General Assembly in New York.
In addition to the mandate on the occupied Palestinian territory, mandates exist to monitor human rights in countries such as Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Afghanistan. In all there are 46 thematic and 14 different country-based mandates.
I'm just waiting for them to get some real power...
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