Court halts US sanctions against Albanese for Gaza genocide statements

A federal judge in the District of Columbia has suspended US sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories.

Albanese confirmed the ruling on X, writing: “The US court has suspended the US sanctions against me! Thanks to my daughter and my husband for stepping up to defend me, and everyone who has helped so far.”

The sanctions, imposed under the administration of Donald Trump and later defended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, targeted Albanese for describing Israel’s brutal war on Gaza as genocide and urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to pursue investigations into Israeli and US officials.

In his ruling, Judge Richard Leon said the measures violated Albanese’s First Amendment rights, noting they were based entirely on her calls for ICC accountability. “Albanese has done nothing more than speak,” he wrote, stressing that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC.

Albanese has consistently urged the court to prosecute individuals responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

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Her push for accountability for the genocide gained traction after the ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's former war minister Yoav Gallant, including charges of using starvation as a weapon against Gaza’s population.

Despite the court’s ruling in Albanese’s case, US sanctions remain in place against ICC officials whom the United States Department of State accuses of pursuing “illegitimate and baseless” investigations into Israel's genocidal actions in Gaza and US military conduct.

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