UN Envoy’s Family Sues Trump Administration Over Sanctions
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the family of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, has filed a judicial complaint against the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump due to sanctions imposed on her. The lawsuit, registered in a Washington federal court, states that Albanese’s spouse and young daughter claim the sanctions, implemented last year following her criticism of the Israeli regime’s policies in the war against Gaza, violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and have severely affected their family and professional lives, to the extent that they have lost access to their home in Washington.
The lawsuit asserts that Albanese’s expression of her views on developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as the activities of the International Criminal Court, falls within the scope of free speech guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. This development follows arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against several Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former War Minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes.
Albanese is a member of a panel of experts selected by the UN Human Rights Council based in Geneva, tasked with investigating human rights violations in the Palestinian territories. She has been a strong critic of the war in Gaza and has reported on alleged genocide in the region. The United States sanctioned Albanese last July after failing in its efforts to remove her from her UN position. Following the imposition of these sanctions, she stated that these measures had negatively impacted her personal life and assets in the U.S., but despite the pressure, she continued to publish her critical reports against the Israeli regime.
