Georgetown University has severed its ties with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and removed her name from its list of affiliated researchers. The move was brought to light by UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights organization.
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, stated that Albanese, whom he described as a “defender of Hamas at the UN,” was removed from Georgetown University’s website on December 21st.
According to archived versions of the university website, Albanese was previously listed prominently on the Institute for the Study of International Migration’s page as an affiliated researcher. The university described Albanese as an “international lawyer and researcher, and author of numerous publications and opinions on the question of Palestinian refugees.” However, her name and photograph have now been removed from the university’s online directory.
Similarly, Albanese’s biographical page, which was previously accessible on the Georgetown website, has also been deleted.
In an interview, Albanese attributed Georgetown’s decision to the sanctions imposed on her by the United States in July. She believes these sanctions were a result of her collaboration with the International Criminal Court in documenting alleged Israeli crimes against Palestinians. “It’s a huge letdown,” Albanese stated. “I was affiliated with an American university, I was giving lectures there. Everything has been cut off.”
In a separate interview, Albanese claimed she was being “punished for simply doing her job documenting violations.” She added that the US sanctions against her confirm that the global system is “weak and afraid,” fearing a “wake-up of conscience” that would lead to changing the current situation.
Albanese has been a vocal critic of Israel and its allies, particularly regarding the conflict in Gaza. The Israeli government declared her persona non grata in 2024.
