Press Release
Published on July 10, 2025
New York, NY — Human Rights First today deplored the State Department’s misuse of financial sanctions to target a United Nations special rapporteur on the basis of her advocacy for action by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its Palestine investigation.
“By sanctioning Francesca Albanese, the Trump administration has broadened its abuse of national security powers to include penalizing a human rights advocate and United Nations expert for her speech,” said Adam Keith, senior director for accountability at Human Rights First.
“The U.S. government is free to disagree with Albanese’s conclusions about official Israeli conduct. It is a disgrace and a show of weakness to try to compel her silence with tools intended for terrorists and human rights abusers.”
For more on Human Rights First’s advocacy related to the ICC, see our website here.
To speak with Keith please contact press@humanrightsfirst.org
