Independent UN body condemns ‘vicious attacks’ on UN expert on Palestinian rights
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Ms Francesca Albanese was accused of calling Israel a “common enemy of humanity”, but she denies making the remarks.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- An independent UN body condemned European ministers' "vicious attacks based on disinformation" against Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, over her Israel criticism.
- European ministers demanded Albanese's resignation over alleged remarks about Israel; however, Reuters found no evidence of these, and Albanese denies making them.
- The UN Coordination Committee urged ministers to hold those accountable for Gaza war crimes, citing a trend of politically motivated attacks against human rights experts.
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GENEVA - An independent United Nations body on Feb 17 condemned what it described as vicious attacks based on disinformation by several European ministers against the organisation’s special rapporteur for Palestine, Ms Francesca Albanese.
In the past week, several European countries, including Germany, France and Italy, called for Ms Albanese’s resignation over her alleged criticism of Israel.
Ms Albanese, an Italian lawyer, denies making the remarks.
On Feb 13, the Czech Republic’s Foreign Minister Petr Macinka quoted Ms Albanese on X as having called Israel a “common enemy of humanity”, and he also called for her resignation.
A transcript of Ms Albanese’s remarks made in Doha on Feb 7 seen by Reuters did not characterise Israel in this way, although she has consistently criticised the country in the past over the Gaza conflict.
The UN Coordination Committee - a body of six independent experts which coordinates and facilitates the work of Special Rapporteurs - accused European ministers of relying on “manufactured facts”.
“Instead of demanding Ms Albanese’s resignation for performing her mandate... these government representatives should join forces to hold accountable, including before the International Criminal Court, leaders and officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza,” the Committee said.
It said the pressure exerted on Ms Albanese was part of an increasing trend of politically motivated and malicious attacks against independent human rights experts, UN officials and judges of international courts.
US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on Ms Albanese after she wrote letters to US companies accusing them of contributing to gross human rights violations by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank.
UN experts are commissioned by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to monitor and document specific human rights crises but are independent of the organisation itself.
There is no precedent for removing a special rapporteur during their term, although diplomats said that states on the 47-member council could in theory propose a motion to do so.
However, they said strong support for Palestinian rights within the body means that such a motion was unlikely to pass. REUTERS
