A US federal judge has temporarily blocked sanctions imposed by the US administration on the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese.
She was sanctioned in July 2025 for criticizing Washington's policy regarding Israel's military aggression against Palestinians in Gaza. She was called incompetent and accused of being biased and malicious towards the US and Israel.
Albanese recommended that the International Criminal Court (ICC) initiate war crimes proceedings against Israeli and American citizens.
The sanctions include a ban on entering the US, using US banks and payment systems, and preventing anyone in the US from doing business with her.
Her husband and daughter, a US citizen, filed a lawsuit in February against the administration of US President Donald Trump over the sanctions, claiming it was an attempt to punish Albanese for drawing attention to Israel's violations of Palestinian rights.
They added in the lawsuit that US sanctions "have made it impossible for her to operate and make it almost impossible for her to meet the basic needs of daily life."
US Judge Richard Leon temporarily halted the sanctions.
The judge found that the administration wanted to control her speech because of "the idea or message she conveyed."
"Albanese has done nothing but speak. It is not disputed that her proposals have no binding effect on the actions of the ICC, they are merely her opinion," Judge Leon wrote in the decision.
She posted on X, where she thanked her husband and daughter and everyone who helped, and wrote, "together we are as one."
Albanese has held the position at the UN since 2022, and was elected by the UN Human Rights Council, Al Jazeera reminds.
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