The U.S. announced sanctions Wednesday against Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, citing her outspoken criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.
"Today I am imposing sanctions on U.N. Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (International Criminal Court) action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
In a post on X late Wednesday, Albanese wrote that she stood "firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done," without directly mentioning the U.S. sanctions. In a text message to Al Jazeera, she was quoted as dismissing the U.S. move as "mafia-style intimidation techniques."
Albanese, an Italian lawyer and academic, has called on states at the U.N. Human Rights Council to impose an arms embargo and cut off trade and financial ties with Israel while accusing the U.S. ally of waging a "genocidal campaign" in Gaza.
Israel has faced accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and of war crimes at the ICC over its genocidal war on Gaza that has killed over 57,500 Palestinians. Israel denies the accusations and says its campaign amounts to self-defense after the October 2023 Hamas incursion.
