The United States has removed Francesca Albanese, a United Nations expert on the Palestinian territories, from its sanctions list, according to the U.S. Treasury Department website.
The move follows a temporary court order issued last week, which found the sanctions likely breached her free speech rights.
Albanese had been placed under sanctions after criticising U.S. ally Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Francesca Albanese is an Italian lawyer specialising in human rights and the Middle East, serving as the United Nations special rapporteur on the "Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories."
In that role, she has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider prosecutions related to alleged war crimes involving Israeli and American nationals.
She also wrote a report accusing major U.S. firms of involvement in what she described as Israel’s “ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza”.
The U.S. introduced sanctions on Albanese in July 2025. Officials said they were linked to her efforts to encourage the ICC to act against U.S. and Israeli individuals, companies and executives.
The measures blocked her from entering the United States and restricted her access to U.S. financial services.
Albanese’s husband and daughter - who is a U.S. citizen - brought a legal challenge against the sanctions in February.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled on 13 May that Albanese retains First Amendment protections, even though she lives outside the United States.
He also said the government appeared to be penalising her for the “idea or message expressed”.
Following the ruling, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control said it would not enforce the sanctions while the order remained in place.
The removal of Albanese from the sanctions list has now been reflected on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website, part of United States Department of the Treasury.
The United States Department of State and the White House have not yet commented.
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