US sanctions on Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese threaten human rights system: UN experts

UN human rights experts* today expressed their continued support for human rights principles and fundamental standards that underpin international human rights and humanitarian law and condemned the United States’ decision to impose sanctions on the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese. They issued the following statement:

“Echoing the statement issued by the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council on 10 July 2025, we unconditionally denounce the United States’ decision to impose sanctions on the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) and reaffirm our commitment to defending fundamental human rights principles against efforts to undermine them and intimidate or silence those working to defend them. We express our full solidarity with Francesca Albanese, whose mandate and reporting are essential to upholding international legal standards and accountability.

The Special Rapporteur’s work represents a principled commitment to a human rights mandate, providing rigorous, independent analysis of grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territories, including forcible transfer, systemic discrimination and a wide range of international crimes, several of them targeting or particularly affecting women and children. In fulfilling this responsibility, Albanese has come under significant pressure, underscoring the importance of safeguarding impartial and evidence-based human rights reporting. This mandate plays an essential role in documenting structural injustice and advancing accountability under international law—an endeavour that must be upheld and protected.

Sanctioning the Special Rapporteur for fulfilling this responsibility, which is mandated by the Human Rights Council, is a direct attack on the integrity of the UN human rights system. These measures violate international law, including the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. The 1946 Convention accords UN experts such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions. Violating this framework sends a dangerous message, threatens the independence of the Special Procedures system and has a chilling effect on global human rights advocacy. States that disagree with the views of UN experts should constructively engage with them through established processes of diplomatic dialogue.

The targeting of the Special Rapporteur cannot be separated from the egregious international crimes and human rights abuses being perpetrated against Palestinians and the longstanding efforts to delegitimise those who defend their rights. The prejudice and threats faced by human rights defenders – whether they are scholars, civil society actors, UN officials or experts – reflect a broader strategy of silencing dissent and shielding abusive power structures from scrutiny.

We call on all States to expressly condemn these sanctions and refuse to cooperate in carrying them out and reaffirm their commitment to the UN Special Rapporteurs, Working Groups and Independent Experts, including the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.”

To learn more about Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council and the Question of Palestine, click here to visit the dedicated webpage.