Chicago – July 11, 2025
A United Nations expert who speaks out about human rights in Gaza said she was shocked to learn that the Trump administration had placed sanctions on her. But she also said she will not stop speaking up for Palestinians.
Francesca Albanese, a human rights lawyer from Italy, told The Associated Press that powerful people were trying to silence her. She said she speaks for people in Gaza who have no power and are just trying to survive.
“They want to stop me because I defend people who are suffering,” Albanese said. “But this shows they feel guilty.”
The U.S. government put sanctions on her after it failed to convince the U.N. Human Rights Council to remove her from her job. She works as the U.N. special expert who looks into human rights issues in the West Bank and Gaza.
Albanese has said that what’s happening in Gaza is “genocide” by Israel. Both the Israeli and U.S. governments deny that claim.
Even after the sanctions, Albanese said she will keep fighting for Palestinians to have their own free country. Speaking at the Sarajevo airport, she said, “This isn’t normal,” and added, “No one is free until Palestine is free.”
