Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, is currently facing the incredibly serious fallout of sanctions imposed by President Trump, finding herself placed on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals list right alongside suspected al Qaeda terrorists and drug traffickers. According to Reuters, the consequences have been swift and harsh.
Albanese’s US assets are frozen, her bank accounts are closed, her credit cards are canceled, and she has been forced to borrow cards from friends just to travel. She has received physical threats, forcing the UN to increase security for her and her family. Speaking from her native Italy, Albanese stated, “This is unjust, unfair, and persecutorial.” She firmly believes she is being punished solely because of her human rights work.
