US lifts sanctions on Francesca Albanese, UN expert on Palestinian rights

Key points

• Albanese is among several people sanctioned by the US for advocacy against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
• The United States has removed sanctions against the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, a week after a federal judge said the measures restricted her freedom of speech.
• In a brief update on its website on Wednesday, the US Department of the Treasury listed Albanese’s name under the heading: “International Criminal Court-related Designation Removal”.
• The announcement comes after US District Judge Richard Leon issued a temporary injunction against the sanctions in response to a case filed by Albanese’s husband and daughter in February.
• The lawsuit argued that the sanctions were imposed as a punishment for her public advocacy against Israel’s human rights abuses of Palestinians.