US reinstates UN rights expert on sanctions list following court appeal

The United States government has reinstated UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese on its sanctions list, reversing a temporary injunction granted by a US federal judge in February. The move, confirmed by an update on the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) website on Wednesday, restores a designation that had been struck down by US District Judge Richard Leon in May 2026. The Trump administration, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has appealed the judge’s ruling and restored the designation without providing further public details regarding the timing or specific legal justification for the reinstatement.

Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, was originally sanctioned in July 2025 for her criticism of Israeli policies and her recommendation that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. The sanctions barred her from entering the US, froze her US-based assets, and prohibited US entities from doing business with her. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had accused Albanese of engaging in “lawfare” and conducting “biased and malicious activities” against Israel, framing the penalties as a response to actions hostile to US and Israeli interests.

The legal challenge began in February when members of Albanese’s family filed a lawsuit on her behalf, arguing that the sanctions had disrupted her life and prevented her from accessing her bank account. The family accused the Trump administration of attempting to intimidate those who speak out against reported abuses by Israeli forces. Albanese, an Italian citizen with close ties to the US through her daughter and a family residence in the country, had been vocal in her assessment that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, a view shared by other human rights experts.

In May 2026, Judge Richard Leon ruled that the sanctions violated Albanese’s constitutionally protected right to free speech. Leon noted that her recommendations to the ICC had no binding effect, stating, “It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions. They are nothing more than her opinion.” Consequently, Albanese was removed from the sanctions list earlier this month. However, the administration had previously stated it would restore her to the list as soon as possible, a move now confirmed by the latest OFAC update.

The reinstatement occurs amidst a broader pattern of executive action against international legal bodies. Since taking office for a second term, the Trump administration has sanctioned nine ICC judges and prosecutors involved in probes into abuses by US and Israeli forces. Legal experts have condemned these measures as an assault on international law and an effort to shield the US and its allies from scrutiny. The administration has not provided further public details regarding the specific legal justification or timing trigger for the reinstatement, leaving the ongoing legal battle between the executive branch and the judiciary unresolved.