A United States federal judge has temporarily blocked sanctions imposed on United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese by the Trump administration over her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
US District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, ruling that the sanctions appeared to target Albanese’s speech and opinions. The sanctions, imposed in July 2025, barred the Italian legal scholar from entering the United States and restricted her access to US banking and payment systems.
Albanese, who has served since 2022 as the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, had called for investigations into alleged war crimes involving Israeli and US nationals. The Trump administration accused her of biased activities against the United States and Israel.
Also Read: Relatives of Alleged Coup Plotters Protest in Abuja
The lawsuit challenging the sanctions was filed in February by Albanese’s husband and daughter, who argued that the measures had severely disrupted her daily life and financial access. Following the ruling, Albanese thanked her family and supporters in a statement posted on social media.
Leave feedback about this
You must be logged in to post a comment.