Washington’s Sanctions Against Albanese Are an Inseparable Part of Complicity in the Crime of Genocide
Washington’s Sanctions Against Albanese Are an Inseparable Part of Complicity in the Crime of Genocide
It wasn’t a surprise that the U.S. State Department’s decision to imposed sanctions on Ms. Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967. The U.S. administration continues to undermine law and ethics, dismantle the multilateral international system, and directly participate in Israeli crimes in occupied Palestine and other Arab countries.
Historically, Israeli occupation has obstructed access for UN human rights rapporteurs to the Palestinian territories — except in rare cases. Since 2009, no member of UN investigative mechanisms, including special rapporteurs, has set his foots in the field to examine serious Israeli violations.
U.S. support — including nearly 50 vetoes in the UN Security Council — has long emboldened Israel to defy international law, particularly humanitarian law and human rights obligations.
The U.S. decision against Albanese came after she fulfilled her mandate from the UN Human Rights Council and submitted reports providing sufficient evidence of Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ongoing Genocide in Gaza since October 9, 2023.
The AOHR monitored Albanese’s presentation of her latest report, From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide, at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on July 3, 2025. In it, she revealed the involvement of nearly 60 global companies complicit in Israeli crimes, including genocide in Gaza.
Ms. Albanese recently demanded explanations from three European capitals for allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — wanted by the International Criminal Court — to travel through their airspace en-route to Washington. These countries are parties to the Rome Statute and thus violated their obligations under the ICC’s arrest warrant issued on November 20, 2024, for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Ms. Albanese supported calls by Palestinian and international human rights organizations for the ICC to prosecute those complicit in genocide, including corporations aiding the occupation. She also participated in the Conference Against the Forced Displacement of Palestinians, organized by the AOHR and its partners in Cairo in February 2025. Read the final statement.
It’s worth noting that the ICC and its officials have faced harsh U.S. sanctions aimed at preventing them from addressing Israeli crimes. The Arab Organization for Human Rights expressed concern over the impact of these sanctions, especially since the arrest warrants expected since December 2024 have yet to be enforced.
The AOHR reaffirms its full solidarity with Ms. Albanese, condemns the U.S. actions, and calls on the UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly to act immediately against these unjust unilateral sanctions and to provide moral protection for Ms. Albanese.
