US re-adds UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese to sanctions list days after removal

The United States has placed UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese back on its sanctions list, a move that follows her designation's removal just days prior. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the reinstatement on Wednesday, citing International Criminal Court-related sanctions under Executive Order 14203.

Albanese, who monitors human rights in the Palestinian territories, was initially sanctioned by the U.S. in 2025. Washington stated these sanctions were a response to her attempts to encourage the International Criminal Court (ICC) to pursue actions against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives. At the time, then-U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized Albanese's engagement with the ICC as a "gross infringement on the sovereignty" of the U.S. and Israel, neither of which are parties to the Rome Statute that established the ICC.

The sanctions were temporarily lifted after a federal judge granted an injunction sought by Albanese's husband and daughter. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the Trump administration might have infringed upon Albanese's free speech rights by imposing sanctions after she criticized Israel's conduct. However, this reprieve was short-lived.

An administrative stay was later issued by a federal appeals court, enabling the U.S. government to reimpose the sanctions while legal proceedings are ongoing. The Treasury Department has not provided an explanation for the swift reversal and re-imposition of sanctions within a week.

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gross infringement on the sovereignty