US-sanctioned UN expert Albanese vows to keep up work on Palestinian territories

UN rights expert Francesca Albanese on Thursday denounced US sanctions against her as "calculated to weaken my mission" as rapporteur on the Palestinian territories.

"I will continue to do what I have to do. Yes, of course, it will be challenging... I'm putting everything I have on the line," Albanese told reporters during a visit to Ljubljana.

The UN called on Washington to reverse its decision to sanction Albanese who has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and has criticised US policy on the war there.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk also called for a halt to "attacks and threats" against people appointed by the UN and other international institutions like the International Criminal Court, whose judges have also been hit with US sanctions.

"I urge the prompt reversal of US sanctions against a Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council, Francesca Albanese, in response to work she has undertaken under the mandate on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory," Turk said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced sanctions against the outspoken UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticised Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some U.S. firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza.

Agencies