The family of independent U.N. investigator Francesca Albanese have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging U.S. sanctions imposed on her last year over her criticism of Israel's genocidal actions in Gaza, saying that the measures infringe on her First Amendment rights.
Meanwhile, Albanese, special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, denounced on Thursday what she described as "toxic" attacks impacting her personal life and work, after a number of European states called for her resignation.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Washington, Albanese's husband and minor child outlined the serious impact those sanctions have had on the family's life and work, including the ability to access their home in the nation's capital.
"Francesca's expression of her views about the facts as she has found them in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and about the work of the ICC is core First Amendment activity," the lawsuit says, referring to the International Criminal Court. That tribunal has issued arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over allegations of war crimes.
"At its heart, this case concerns whether Defendants can sanction a person – ruining their life and the lives of their loved ones, including their citizen daughter – because Defendants disagree with their recommendations or fear their persuasiveness," according to the filing.
