UN Rights Investigator’s Family Challenges Trump Sanctions in Federal Court

The family of UN human rights investigator Francesca Albanese has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming sanctions imposed last July violate First Amendment rights. The sanctions were imposed after Albanese criticized Israel's actions in Gaza and accused the country of genocide against Palestinians.

A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday challenges the Trump administration’s decision to impose sanctions on a United Nations human rights investigator who criticized Israel’s conduct during the Gaza conflict.

The legal action, brought by the husband and minor child of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, was filed in Washington’s U.S. District Court. The family argues the sanctions imposed last July infringe upon constitutional free speech protections.

According to the court filing, the penalties have severely disrupted the family’s daily life and professional activities, including limiting their ability to access their Washington D.C. residence.

The lawsuit states that “Francesca’s expression of her views about the facts as she has found them in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and about the work of the ICC is core First Amendment activity,” referencing the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes allegations.

“At its heart, this case concerns whether Defendants can sanction a person — ruining their life and the lives of their loved ones, including their citizen daughter — because Defendants disagree with their recommendations or fear their persuasiveness,” the legal document states.

Neither the White House nor State Department provided immediate responses to requests for comment.

Albanese serves as the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, appointed by the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council based in Geneva. Her role involves examining human rights violations in Palestinian territories, and she has publicly characterized Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide.”

Both Israeli officials and the United States, which provides significant military aid to Israel, have categorically rejected these genocide allegations. Washington condemned what it termed Albanese’s “campaign of political and economic warfare” against America and Israel before implementing the July sanctions, following failed attempts to pressure the UN to dismiss her from her position.

In a summer interview with The Associated Press following the sanctions announcement, the Italian human rights attorney discussed the personal and professional consequences she anticipated.

“My daughter is American. I’ve been living in the U.S. and I have some assets there. So of course, it’s going to harm me,” Albanese stated. “What can I do? I did everything I did in good faith, and knowing that, my commitment to justice is more important than personal interests.”

The sanctions have not deterred Albanese from continuing her investigative work or moderating her positions. She has persisted in publishing critical assessments of Israeli operations, including a recent report examining what she termed the nation’s “genocidal economy” within Palestinian territories.

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon responded to one of her reports last year, saying “she has taken the word ‘genocide,’ born from the ashes of the Holocaust, and turned it into a weapon — not to defend the victims of history, but to attack them.”

Meanwhile, Israeli military actions have repeatedly interrupted the US-mediated ceasefire agreement established October 10. Some developments have occurred, including the Rafah crossing reopening, though Israel and Hamas remain at odds over withdrawal timelines from Gaza and the militant organization’s disarmament.

Though special rapporteurs operate independently from the UN without formal governmental powers, their investigations can increase international pressure on nations while providing evidence for ICC prosecutors and other international justice institutions.