WANA (Jul 11) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, responded to U.S. sanctions against Francesca Albanese the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, by defending her stance and condemning the move as an attempt to suppress truth through coercion. “You cannot silence the truth with sanctions,” Baghaei wrote on X.

 

He emphasized that Albanese has been sanctioned and bullied simply for “speaking the truth and standing against genocide, occupation, and apartheid.”

 

Baghaei also pointed out the stark hypocrisy of the U.S. government, noting that while Albanese is punished for her human rights advocacy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court—is warmly welcomed in Washington. “You are showcasing blatant, full-scale hypocrisy, and the world is watching,” he said.

 

Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio announced the sanctions against Albanese, claiming she was being penalized for “illegitimate and shameful efforts to pressure the International Criminal Court to target U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives” in relation to Israel’s war on Gaza.