UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Calls for US to Lift Sanctions on Albanese
Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called on the US to immediately lift its sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, for her work documenting Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.
According to IRNA, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement that special rapporteurs are mandated to address “sensitive and often controversial issues that are of international concern.”
He added that even when they strongly disagree with the work of special rapporteurs like Albanese, UN member states “should engage substantively and constructively rather than resorting to punitive measures.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said: Attacks and threats against individuals with special clearances, as well as key institutions such as the International Criminal Court, must stop. The solution is greater discussion and dialogue about the real human rights concerns that these reporters address.
A number of human rights organizations and advocates have issued statements in support of Albanese after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against the reporter. Rubio accused Albanese of waging a “campaign of political and economic warfare” against the US and Israel.
The UN rapporteur criticized countries that allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fly over their airspace on his way to the US, saying they may be violating their obligations under international law.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories warned: “The genocide in Gaza will not stop because it is profitable.”
