WASHINGTON, May 28 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The US has restored sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, days after removing her designation due to a court order, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
An update on the Treasury Department's website on Wednesday showed Albanese had been re-added to the Specially Designated Nationals list.
US District Judge Richard Leon ruled on May 13 that the Trump administration likely violated Albanese's free speech rights by sanctioning her for criticising US ally Israel's genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, granting a preliminary injunction against the sanctions.
On Friday, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit issued an administrative stay of Leon's rulings, clearing the way for the government to restore Albanese's sanctions designation.
Albanese, an Italian citizen, was sanctioned by the US in July 2025 after she encouraged the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to pursue war crimes against Israeli officials amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Albanese of waging a “campaign of political and economic warfare” against the US and Israel after a report by her identified corporations allegedly facilitating Israeli occupation on Palestinian lands, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Palantir.
Albanese has served as the UN Human Rights Council's special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 2022, monitoring human rights abuses against Palestinians.
The sanctions prohibit Albanese from entering the US, accessing US banking and payment systems, and engaging in business with anyone based in the country.
Albanese's husband, World Bank economist Massimiliano Cali, and their American daughter filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in February.
Israel has killed more than 72,000 people and injured over 172,000 in two years of a brutal offensive since October 2023 that has also caused widespread destruction affecting 90 per cent of civilian infrastructure.
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its war on the enclave.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
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