The US Has Imposed Sanctions On This UN Expert For Speaking Out About Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed UN expert Francesca Albanese had waged a "campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel”.
The US government has imposed sanctions on UN expert Francesca Albanese for speaking out against Israel's genocide in Gaza and documenting Israel's abuses of Palestinians' human rights.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions against Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, on Wednesday July 9, claiming she had waged a "campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel”.
Albanese, an Italian lawyer and human rights expert, was appointed to the role in 2022 and has been outspoken about Israel's longstanding occupation and apartheid against Palestinians.
After Oct. 7, 2023, Albanese became one of the leading voices globally to criticize and call for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.
In June, the UN published a report by Albanese that found that Israel was continuing its genocide in Gaza because it is lucrative for several companies and corporations.
The report listed out 48 corporations, including major US tech and arms companies such as Microsoft, Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. and Amazon, that are complicit in Israel's genocide in Gaza and called for UN member states to impose sanctions against the companies and a full arms embargo on Israel.
In response, the US imposed sanctions on Albanese, which are expected to ban her from entering the country and freezing any assets she may have in the US.
Rubio accused Albanese of antisemitism and said her push for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Israeli officials was one of the reasons for the sanctions.
Albanese called the sanctions "obscene" and said that she was being punished for her "pursuit of justice", adding at a press conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The US' move against Albanese has also been slammed by rights groups and the UN. The Trump administration had also imposed sanctions on four ICC judges for "targeting" Israel in June.
Both Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
You Might Also Be Interested In
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
