A federal court in the US has suspended sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories. The court noted that the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration following Albanese's description of the situation in Gaza as a 'genocidal war' are highly likely to violate freedom of expression. Federal Judge Richard Leon in Washington emphasized that Albanese living outside the US does not reduce the protections under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The sanctions prevented Albanese from entering the US and conducting banking transactions. Albanese's US citizen husband and daughter filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in February, stating that the sanctions made daily life difficult. Albanese stated that the sanctions are part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening international accountability mechanisms.