The United States re-added UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese to the Treasury Department’s sanctions list on Wednesday, days after removing her designation.
According to a notice published by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Albanese was added back to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under International Criminal Court-related sanctions.
The move comes after OFAC announced on May 20 that Albanese had been removed from the sanctions list.
Wednesday’s notice restored the same designation details previously associated with Albanese, including the sanctions authority under Executive Order 14203.
The Treasury Department did not explain why she was re-added to the sanctions list within one week of her removal.
US Court ruling temporarily blocked sanctions
The United States imposed sanctions on Albanese in 2025 over what Washington said were her efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to take action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.
In a press release at the time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Albanese’s engagement with the ICC as a “gross infringement on the sovereignty” of the US and Israel, given the fact that neither country is party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
Albanese was officially removed from the sanctions list after a federal judge granted an injunction sought by her husband and daughter, temporarily blocking the sanctions.
US District Judge Richard Leon found that the Trump administration likely violated Albanese’s free speech rights by imposing sanctions after she criticized Israel’s conduct during the Israel.
However, a federal appeals court later issued an administrative stay on the ruling, allowing the US government to once again enforce Albanese’s sanctions designation while legal proceedings continue.
Reuters contributed to this report