JAKARTA - The United States has removed Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories, from the list of sanctioned individuals, according to the US Department of the Treasury's website.
The removal comes a week after a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions, arguing that President Donald Trump's administration likely violated Albanese's free speech rights by imposing the measures after he criticized the war of Israel, a US ally, in Gaza, Palestine, launching Al Arabiya from Reuters (21/5).
Albanese is an Italian lawyer who is the UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel.
In that role, he has recommended the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute war crimes against Israeli and US citizens.
He also wrote a report accusing major US companies of being involved in what he called "Israel's ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza."
The US imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025 for what the US called his efforts to encourage the ICC to take action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.
The sanctions bar him from entering the US and conducting banking transactions there.
Albanese's husband and daughter, who are U.S. citizens, sued the Trump administration in February.
US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington on May 13 ruled Albanese's residence outside the US did not diminish his protection under the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Trump administration sought to regulate Albanese's freedom of speech because of "the ideas or messages expressed."
Following the ruling, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it would not impose or enforce sanctions against Albanese as long as the order was in effect.
The U.S. State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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