Palestinian prisoner advocacy organizations on Sunday strongly condemned the U.S. sanctions imposed on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, calling the move illegal and a blatant violation of international law and core human rights principles.

In a joint statement, the organizations said the sanctions send a clear message of intimidation to the global human rights system and represent a dangerous attempt to undermine its role in protecting human rights and holding violators accountable.

They praised Albanese’s courageous legal work and principled stance in exposing Israeli crimes and the complicity of international powers, stressing that the U.S. sanctions reflect Washington’s alignment with Israel’s aggression and position it as a direct adversary to humanitarian justice.

The organizations called on international legal and human rights institutions to act urgently to reverse the sanctions and protect the integrity of the global human rights system.

The Biden administration announced the sanctions last Wednesday, targeting Albanese over her statements accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza — a position supported by legal scholars and genocide experts who have echoed calls for accountability.