US lifts sanctions on UN envoy Francesca Albanese

The United States has lifted sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, according to the US Treasury Department website.

A week earlier, a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions. The judge said the Trump administration may have violated Albanese’s right to free speech by penalizing her for criticizing Israel’s war in Gaza.

Francesca Albanese, an Italian lawyer, serves as the UN special rapporteur on the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

In her role, she urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute Israeli and US nationals for alleged war crimes. In a separate report, she accused several major US companies of supporting what she described as Israel’s “ongoing genocidal campaign” in Gaza.

The United States imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025. Washington alleged that she encouraged the ICC to take action against US and Israeli officials, companies and business executives, according to Al Arabiya.

The sanctions barred Albanese from entering the United States and restricted banking activities linked to the country.

In February, Albanese’s husband and their US-citizen daughter filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

On May 13, US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington ruled that Albanese’s right to free expression remains protected under the First Amendment, despite living outside the United States. The judge said the administration appeared to target her mainly because of the opinions she expressed publicly.

Following the ruling, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the sanctions against Albanese would not be enforced while the court order remained in effect.

The US State Department and the White House did not immediately comment.