'There are no red lines anymore' says UN Palestinian rights expert on US sanctions

The top U.N. expert on Palestinian rights said on Friday that the U.S. decision to place her under sanctions could have a "chilling effect" on people who engage with her and restrict her movements, but that she planned to continue her work.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Francesca Albanese would be added to the U.S. sanctions list for her actions, which he described as prompting illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

Albanese said she now faces asset freezes and potential travel restrictions, warning that the U.S. decision could set a "dangerous" precedent for human rights defenders worldwide.

"There are no red lines anymore ... It is scary," she told Reuters via video link from Bosnia, where she was attending events for the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

"It might block me from moving around. It will have a chilling effect on people normally engaging with me because for American citizens or for green card holders, this is going to be extremely problematic."

"My plans are to continue what I've been doing," she added.


Reuters