US sanctions UN expert Albanese over Gaza reporting

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Francesca Albanese hits back at Trump sanctions over UN report
Middle East Eye
7/11/25



Transcript

Now, the Trump administration is
accusing you of waging economic warfare
against the US and US companies. What is
your reaction to these sanctions?
Um,
it looks like uh I've hit the nerve.
You think this?
You think that's what this is? That that
you've hit a nerve? My concern there are
people dying in Gaza while you and I are
speak and the United Nations are totally
unable to intervene and there's
something called the Gaza humanitarian
foundation that it's a punch in the face
of everything that humanitarian
the humanitarian uh system should be and
there is the European Union right now
discussing whether to enter an agreement
with Israel to uh to for aid
distribution. This is nonsense. Of
course, I stand so deeply and firmly
against this system that probably I need
to be silenced and hitting me from
uh all over with whatever means they
have is the only thing they can do
instead of doing what I'm asking to
states and companies to comply with
international law. As simple as that.
How will this impact you? I mean these
sanctions are are of sweeping. They can
affect a lot of aspects of your life.
How is it going to affect you, your
family, but your ability to work and
continue to do your job?
We shall see. We shall see. Uh the of
course there it's going to affect me.
But
you really have to believe me. It does
matter. It does matter to me and to my
family. And we will we will uh hold we
will make sacrifices. We will do
everything that it takes and we will
continue to do what we do to stand
against the genocide and hope I I truly
hope that people understand what's
happening. A UN proono official I'm not
even paid for this and all of a sudden
I'm a threat to global economy.
Seriously. So the big techs, the giants
that control algorithm,
armaments and capitals are endangered
by me because I just asked them to
comply with international law and stop
profiting from
crimes, international crimes, crimes
against humanity, war crimes and
genocide. I do urge sensible human
beings to wake up because what's
happening to the Palestinians in Gaza,
what's happening to the Palestinians in
the West Bank, what's happening to so
many human rights defenders
and ultimately even to a UN official uh
is a sign that the system is cracking,
the system is scared, the the system is
punching back, but it will only win and
the sanctions will only be eventually
effective if we are scared, if we stop
standing for one another. Um and uh if
we speak up, if we push instead really
the masses to take to to to awaken and
to regain control of uh their senses and
and push their governments to act in
line with their constitutional
obligations and international law, we
will pull the brakes of this system and
it will change and we will stop the
genocide and we will show that this is
the last crime that Israel commits
against the Palestinian people uh and
also perhaps companies will continue to
profit but not in the
absolutely outrageous outrageous fashion
that they are doing today.
Have you spoken to the UN Secretary
General Antonio Gutierrez since these
sanctions were announced? And and if so,
what did he say?
No, I've not.
You haven't heard from him?
Never. Never heard from him. Not not
now, not before
and I don't think after. That's okay.
That's okay. I you know I have so much
resp I I have so much respect and
support from the from the people and the
human rights council president has
spoken, member states, presidents of
states. I mean the office of the high
commissioner has spoken. I mean this is
huge. This is huge. And uh and also I
mean I'm Slovenia. I've been received in
48 hours by uh about 2,000 people in
four conferences. The president, the
prime minister, various ministries, the
trade unions in the judges, lawyers,
prosecutors,
people are tired of this genocide.
People feel
the moral weight of the genocide that
yet another genocide that we didn't we
couldn't stop. And you know, tonight
after being in wonderful, wonderful
Slovenia where I felt the love of so
many and I couldn't be in a better
country to receive this punch that of
course I'm trying to uh evate um to skip
I'm going to to SVO and I will be with
the mothers of Srenita tomorrow morning
early in the morning
and this is what I have to do. you
and I will not be ashamed. I will not be
ashamed.
You have diplomatic immunity in your
position as UN special reperator, but
what protection, what support do you
expect from the United Nations
to behave like the United Nations and
not like the United States of America.
This is what they expect. The United
States of America is blowing up the
system that protects all of us, peace
and security. It's eroding the
foundation of the multilateral order,
not the United States, but this
administration. It's not that the
previous ones have really helped, but
this one is really crushing what remains
and we cannot afford it. This is why I
say there are 193 members of the United
Nations and we are called United
Nations, not United States. And this is
why I'm saying it's up to all of us
nations from all over the world to say
enough to connect the dots and to
understand that we can only
we will only be defeated if we stay
silent and uh fragmented. If you stay,
if we stay united for values and
principles, we will overcome this
because there is no way that we will get
out of this phase of this genocide the
same way we entered it. We have said it
over and over. We are suspended between
the abyss and a precipice and um and
hope to become something better. This
can be the defining moment in our
history. Like after the genocide of the
Jewish people, we had the United Nations
and the principles that have laid the
foundation of the United Nations. Oh,
sure. The the system
was never uh without seats. There has
always been a legacy and and and we will
always carry a legacy of who who we are.
Even after the apartite South Africa
collapsed, there has always been a
legacy. There is so much that we still
need to solve as a humanity. But this is
the moment. If we don't transform our
service through this genocide, through
what we have done or let happen to the
Palestinian people and we rebuild our
service, healing our service together
with the Palestinians, together with
Israelis who need healing after all what
they have done. It will be the world
tomorrow will be a much much worse
place.
Now the European Union has uh in its
regulations the blocking statute which
can protect individuals or companies
from sanctions imposed by third
countries. Uh have you sought uh um help
from them? Would you do that? And and uh
would you also talk to the Italian
government? Your country of nationality.
My country of nationality is shamefully
supporting Israel as it commits
genocide. U members of the government
take pictures with Palestinians who have
escaped the genocide while continue to
provide um impunity to the members of
this uh this government and excuses and
even advocating not to cut that disgrace
that there is the EU association
agreement with Israel. So I'm not going
to ask anything to this government. I
expect the Italian people to stand by my
side because we are uh again we are the
people who uh have given the Rome
statute um the name from our capital.
This is uh this is who we are. We are
noble people of made of constitutional
lawyers. We are the people who enjoy the
freedom that has been uh granted to us
by the struggle of our partisans. This
is who we are. We just need to remind
ourselves and straighten our back. But
of course I expect other European
countries like Slovenia, Spain, Belgium,
um
Luxembourg,
Ireland
to stand by my side and by my work as
they together with other European
countries of course I hope uh as they
have said uh and uh demonstrate
demonstrated at the last human rights
council session when I presented my
report. And finally, uh, Marco Rubio in
his statement, uh, the Secretary of
State said that the sanctions were
linked to your efforts to prompt ICC
action against US and Israeli officials,
companies, and executives. Are you
pursuing any action right now against
these companies, against the United
States at the ICC?
Uh no but not personally at least
because my role is to you know look at
the facts and make recommendation. So
yes I've recommended that the CEOs of
this company face investigation proper
investigation from judicial authorities
at country levels or at the ICC. Um and
if found uh
having committed as I as I say uh
violations of international law and
including crimes they will have to be
held accountable. This is what I've
concluded which is totally in line with
my prerogatives and with international
law.
Are you expecting any more action from
not just the US but some of these
massive very rich companies that you've
singled out in your report?
Who knows? Unos.