Solidarity with Francesca Albanese the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967
Front Line Defenders expresses its full solidarity with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, in response to the sanctions imposed on her by the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 9 July 2025.
Front Line Defenders condemns these sanctions and believes that they represent a concerning attack on the independence of the United Nations and its human rights mechanisms, and a clear attempt to silence the Special Rapporteur who has been relentlessly advocating for justice and the human rights of the Palestinian people. Particularly that the sanctions imposed on Francesca Albanese came only days after she released her latest report which investigates the roles played by international corporations in sustaining the Israeli settler-colonial project, and how they profit from the displacement and replacement of the Palestinians in the occupied territory, and Israel’s economy of illegal occupation, apartheid and the ongoing genocide.
Francesca Albanese is an international lawyer, specialised in human rights and the Middle East. Since her appointment as Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory in May 2022, Francesca Albanese has carried out her mandate with integrity, courage, and commitment to international law. She has been shedding light on the systemic injustice endured by Palestinian people for decades at the hands of the Israeli government. Francesca Albanese has been presenting evidence-based reports about the human rights situation in Palestine and the violations of international law committed by the Israeli occupation. In her report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2024, she concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that acts of genocide have been committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Targeting and sanctioning the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories for her work in advocating for the Palestinian people’s rights is a dangerous precedent and a threat on the United Nations system and for the independence of UN Special Rapporteurs especially.
Front Line Defenders calls on the United States authorities to immediately lift the sanctions imposed on Francesca Albanese and ensure she can freely work on her mandate. Front Line Defenders also calls on the international community to join in condemning these sanctions, calling for their lifting, and ceasing all the intimidations and harassment to voices supporting the human rights of Palestinian people.
