The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council issued a position paper expressing its support and solidarity with UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese in the face of the ongoing campaign of incitement and defamation directed against her.
The Council stated that the Special Rapporteur is facing a coordinated campaign aimed at dismissing her or forcing her resignation. The campaign, which began with the U.S. administration and was later followed by several European countries, is portrayed as moving in line with a single political direction, alleging that her statements are antisemitic and inconsistent with her UN mandate. According to the Council, these accusations form part of an organized smear campaign that relies on misinformation to silence Albanese’s voice. It noted that false and inaccurate statements are being attributed to her and presented as antisemitic, while ignoring the nature of her mandate as Special Rapporteur and the legal obligations arising from her role. The Council described this behavior as an unprecedented departure from the principles of international law and the UN system.
In its position paper, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council emphasized that the attacks on Albanese are not related to a professional or objective evaluation of her reports, but rather represent an attempt to silence her clear characterization of crimes committed against Palestinians and her highlighting of responsibilities borne by the occupying power, the international community as a whole, and multinational corporations that invest in activities linked to war crimes.
In the conclusion of the paper, the Council reaffirmed its full support, backing, and solidarity with Special Rapporteur Albanese. It called on states to respect their obligations, implement the recommendations she presented in her reports, enforce the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, and ensure the implementation of the decisions of the International Court of Justice, including provisional measures and the rulings concerning the illegality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, while taking effective steps to bring the occupation to an end.
The Council also urged colleagues working in civil society organizations—especially in countries calling for Albanese’s dismissal—to resort to legal avenues to hold accountable any politician who calls for such actions, considering it complicity in genocide. Furthermore, it appealed to trade unions, solidarity committees, and people of conscience worldwide to launch the broadest possible campaign of solidarity with the courageous and humane Special Rapporteur Albanese.
To read the position paper, click here
