CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The Witch Hunt Continues: U.S. Appeals Court Allows Reinstatement of Sanctions on Francesca Albanese

Photograph Source: Fotografía oficial de la Presidencia de Colombia – Public Domain

In a disturbing escalation, a U.S. Court of Appeals has allowed the reinstatement of sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. After a federal district court suspended the Trump administration’s punitive measures on free speech grounds in mid-May 2026, the administration formally lifted them. On May 22, however, the appeals court issued an administrative stay, clearing the path for the government to formally reinstate the sanctions during its emergency appeal. The campaign to silence one of the UN’s most principled voices presses forward.

The sanctions, originally imposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in July 2025, sought to financially isolate Albanese and her family by freezing assets, restricting travel, and cutting off access to banking systems. This was never about evidence or wrongdoing. It was raw political punishment for her unflinching........

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