An independent United Nations (UN) expert has condemned what it called disinformation-driven attacks by several European ministers against Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestine territories, amid growing political pressure for her resignation.
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The criticism followed claims circulated in recent days that Albanese had described Israel as a “common enemy of humanity.” Governments in Germany, France and Italy publicly called for her removal, while Petr Macinka, the Czech Republic’s foreign minister, repeated the allegation on social media. Albanese has denied making the remarks, and investigators traced the claim to an AI-manipulated video.
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Responding to the controversy, the UN Coordination Committee — a panel of six independent experts that facilitates the work of UN special rapporteurs — accused European officials of relying on “manufactured facts” and undermining independent human rights mandates.
“Instead of demanding Ms Albanese’s resignation for performing her mandate … these government representatives should join forces to hold accountable … leaders and officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza,” the committee said in a statement.
It warned that the pressure campaign reflected a broader pattern of politically motivated attacks against UN human rights experts, officials and international judges.
The controversy intensified after sanctions imposed by the administration of Donald Trump, which targeted Albanese over letters she sent to US companies accusing them of contributing to alleged human rights violations by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank.
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Diplomatic sources said there is no precedent for removing a UN special rapporteur mid-term, though members of the 47-state UN Human Rights Council could theoretically propose a motion. However, they noted that strong support for Palestinian rights within the council makes such an outcome unlikely.