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".