The United States has lifted sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a United Nations expert on Palestinian territories, after a federal court intervened in the case, according to The Frontier Post.
A notice from the US Treasury Department confirmed that Albanese’s name had been removed from its sanctions list. The restrictions had previously cut her off from global financial systems, preventing her from using credit cards or accessing banking services.
Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer, serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories. In her role, she has been openly critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza and has called for the International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes by Israeli and American individuals. She also authored a report accusing major US companies of supporting what she described as an ongoing “genocidal campaign” in Gaza.
The US government imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025, accusing her of pushing legal action against US and Israeli officials and expressing views it labeled as antisemitic and supportive of terrorism. Albanese has strongly denied these claims.
The sanctions also barred her from entering the United States. In response, her husband and daughter who is a US citizen filed a lawsuit earlier this year challenging the decision.
On May 13, US District Judge Richard Leon issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the sanctions. He ruled that protecting freedom of speech is always in the public interest and found that the measures appeared to target Albanese’s views rather than unlawful actions. The judge also stated that her residence outside the US does not remove her constitutional protections.
Following the ruling, US authorities suspended enforcement of the sanctions while the case continues. Officials from the State Department and the White House have not yet commented.
