Diyar Guldogan
14 May 2026•Update: 14 May 2026
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said Wednesday that a US court has suspended sanctions imposed against her, describing the ruling as a victory for freedom of speech and international advocacy.
"BREAKING! US court has suspended the US sanctions against me! As the judge says: 'Protecting the Freedom of speech is always just the public interest'," Albanese said on the US social media platform X, sharing the ruling.
Albanese has drawn international attention for her outspoken criticism of Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip.
Last year, the US imposed sanctions on Albanese, citing her "efforts to prompt" International Criminal Court (ICC) action against US and Israeli officials.
“Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (ICC) action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
Accusing Albanese of waging a “campaign of political and economic warfare” against both countries, Rubio said the actions “will no longer be tolerated.”
The sanctions followed a report by Albanese that identified corporations allegedly facilitating Israeli occupation on Palestinian lands, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Palantir, which provide military hardware, surveillance technology and infrastructure that support the illegal occupation.
