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US removes UN expert Francesca Albanese from sanctions list

AL-MONITOR
May 20, 2026
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a news conference during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse — Denis Balibouse

May 20 (Reuters) - The United States has removed Francesca ​Albanese, a U.N. expert on the ‌Palestinian territories, from its list of sanctioned individuals, according to the U.S. Treasury Department website.

The removal comes a week after a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by imposing the measures ​after she criticized U.S. ally Israel’s war in ​Gaza.

(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los Angeles and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto)