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Judge Temporarily Blocks U.S. Sanctions Against U.N. Expert on Occupied Palestinian Territories

HeadlineMay 14, 2026

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sanctioning Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled the Trump administration likely violated Albanese’s free speech rights when it barred her from traveling to the U.S., froze her assets and prohibited banks and other companies from doing business with her. The sanctions came after she recommended the International Criminal Court pursue war crimes prosecutions against Israeli and U.S. officials. Click here to see our interviews with Francesca Albanese.

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