The Trump regime has filed an emergency appeal to try to overturn a court ruling blocking its punitive sanctions on UN rights and international law expert Francesca Albanese. The US had targeted Albanese, as well as International Criminal Court judges and lawyers, with heavy sanctions because of their pronouncements on Israel’s genocide and other crimes in Gaza.
For now, the US Treasury has been forced to lift the sanctions in response to the court order. However, the Trump administration is trying to overturn the ruling. Justice Department assistant attorney general Brett Shumate said on X that her department is applying for “emergency relief” to restore the sanctions. She also claimed that:
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has undermined the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
None of which is a crime for an Italian, of course, but it illustrates the extent of US arrogance and entitlement, especially in connection with the Israeli colony.
The US government’s application claims that the district court’s injunction is “fundamentally flawed” and that “foreign citizens outside US territory do not possess rights under the US Constitution”. Foreign citizens outside the US are also not obliged to defer to US “national security and foreign policy”, of course, but presumably that’s a hair Trump is not willing to split.
Trump war on free speech
US district judge Richard Leon ruled last week that the Trump administration was violating Albanese’s free speech rights by sanctioning her for criticizing Israel’s genocide. The US government has removed the sanctions but claimed that this “does not reflect a change in policy”. A State Department spokesperson said the sanctions will be immediately reimposed if the appeal court overturns the injunction.
Albanese was sanctioned for writing a report that corporations supporting Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Giant companies accused include Palantir, Amazon and Microsoft. The sanctions left Albanese and other victims unable to hold bank accounts or credit cards.
The sanctions prohibited Albanese from entering the US, accessing US banking and payment systems, and engaging in business with anyone based in the country. The US Israel lobby has also tried to block the sale of Albanese’s new book highlighting its crimes in occupied Palestine. She was honoured in early May 2026 by the Spanish government for her service to humanity.
Featured image via Getty/Evan Vucci-Pool
By Skwawkbox
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