Geneva, Switzerland – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has defended Italian human rights expert Francesca Albanese. She is tasked with preparing reports on the occupied Palestinian territories.
This comes after several European governments called for her resignation over statements attributed to her that she did not make.
Albanese’s statements crisis
UNHCR spokeswoman Marta Hurtado said that attacks and criticism against independent UN experts are a source of grave concern.
She warned that misinformation and threats could distract from substantive human rights issues.
She added that Albanese is independent in her work. This is despite the UN Human Rights Council being tasked with monitoring and documenting violations.
Albanese explained that the European criticisms, including those from Germany, France and Italy, were based on statements she did not make.
She noted that her criticism of Israel is limited to what she sees as excesses during the Gaza war.
She noted that official Palestinian statistics indicate that more than 72,000 people died during the recent conflict. These included more than 20,000 children, over 858 days.
Albanese continues to operate
In the same context, some European governments described Albanese’s position as weak or reprehensible.
The US administration later imposed sanctions on her because of letters she sent to American companies.
Which it accuses of contributing to human rights abuses in Gaza and the West Bank.
Albanese is scheduled to address the Human Rights Council in Geneva next month. Her work will continue until the end of her term in 2028.
Any attempt to isolate her is ruled out given the strong support for Palestinian rights issues within the council.
