The United States has imposed sanctions on United Nations Human Rights Council special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, citing her ongoing “campaign of political and economic warfare” against both the U.S. and Israel. The move, announced Wednesday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, marks a rare direct sanction against a UN official and underscores a growing backlash to what the U.S. calls biased, unlawful, and politically motivated actions within international institutions.
Rubio announced the sanctions via a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), stating:
Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt @IntlCrimCourt action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.
Albanese’s campaign of political and economic…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 9, 2025
Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Palestinian rights, has long drawn criticism for her one-sided condemnation of Israel, defense of Palestinian militants, and support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. In February, she made headlines for claiming that Israel had no right to invade Gaza, even after Hamas militants carried out the brutal October 7 terror attack, which left over 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds more taken hostage.
Speaking at Harvard University, Albanese asserted:
“It didn’t have the right to act in self-defense… What Israel had to do was to repel the attack on its own territory, arrest and detain and treat humanely the people who had been arrested and ensure justice.”
In recent weeks, Albanese escalated her campaign by publishing a report titled “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” which accused nearly 50 corporate entities of war profiteering by conducting business with the Israeli government. The report framed Israel’s military and economic activity as part of a “settler-colonial project” and called for International Criminal Court action targeting individuals and companies aligned with Israeli defense efforts.
The tipping point came after Albanese called for Israel’s expulsion from the United Nations, following an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas command center embedded within the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza — a facility that had been evacuated but later overtaken by Hamas. The strike drew condemnation from some UN officials, but Israeli intelligence confirmed Hamas was using the building as military infrastructure.
The Department of State emphasized that Albanese’s continued coordination with anti-Israel advocacy networks, including her 2023 Australia trip funded by Palestinian organizations, violates the impartiality standards set by the UN Human Rights Council’s own Code of Conduct.
Watchdog group UN Watch sent a formal complaint to UN Secretary-General António Guterres last year, warning that Albanese’s actions represented “extraneous influence” and called for her removal. The letter cited Article 3 of the UNHRC Special Procedures Code, which demands that rapporteurs remain free of political interference.
Rubio made clear that the United States is no longer willing to tolerate UN officials weaponizing international institutions against democratic allies.
“The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies,” he said.
The sanctions are expected to bar Albanese from entering the U.S., freeze any assets under American jurisdiction, and block financial transactions involving U.S. persons or institutions.
