UN and Belgium condemn US sanctions on Gaza rapporteur

The United Nations has condemned the US sanctions imposed on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, as “unacceptable”. It has called for their immediate reversal.

The Trump administration announced sanctions on Albanese on Wednesday, accusing her of bias, antisemitism, and unauthorised contact with the International Criminal Court. US secretary of state Marco Rubio claimed she had promoted “blatant antisemitism” and “support for terrorism”. 

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, warned the move sets “a dangerous precedent.” He emphasised that disagreements with UN experts must be resolved within the UN framework, not through unilateral action.

Belgium strongly criticised the US decision. Foreign minister Maxime Prévot said on social media: “Regardless of whether we agree with a UN Special Rapporteur’s views, Belgium will always defend their independence and oppose any attempt at intimidation.” He added that Belgium “deeply regrets” the sanctions.

Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer appointed in 2022, recently accused Israel of pursuing a “colonial” displacement strategy amounting to apartheid and genocide. His remarks drew sharp criticism and accusations of antisemitism.

^{Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories © Jure Makovec / AFP}