US removes UN expert Francesca Albanese from sanctions list

The United States has removed Francesca ​Albanese, a U.N. expert on the ‌Palestinian territories, from its list of sanctioned individuals, according to the U.S. Treasury Department website.

The removal comes a week after a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by imposing the measures ​after she criticized U.S. ally Israel's war in ​Gaza.

(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los Angeles and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 2:22 PM.