UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese has hit back on US sanctions against her, writing in a post on X that it shows signs of guilt.
The post, published on Thursday, read: "The powerful punishing those who speak for the powerless, it is not a sign of strength, but of guilt".
This comes after the US State Department sanctioned Albanese for urging sanctions against Israeli and US officials linked with the war on Gaza.
In a statement, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said: "Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated," adding that the US will always stand with Israel.
In one of her first responses to the sanctions, Albanese urged for the world to focus on the Israeli aggression and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"All eyes must remain on Gaza, where children are dying of starvation in their mothers’ arms, while their fathers and siblings are bombed into pieces while searching for food," she said.
She also urged people to unite together, after the sanctions against her garnered worldwide condemnation.
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general reiterated that the sanctions on Albanese set a dangerous precedent.
The UN human rights council president, Jurg Lauber, urged UN member states to "fully cooperate with the special rapporteurs and mandate holders of the council and to refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal against them".
The sanctions against her have prompted calls for legal action at the International Court of Justice citing diplomatic immunity.
The US is a part of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN, which protects UN special rapporteurs from legal processes. It also allows them to carry on their work without any impediment.
Craig Mokhiber, the former director of the UN human rights office in New York, described the sanctions as "a direct breach of US legal obligations under the UN Charter, the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the UN, and the Host Country Agreement of the United Nations, as well as a deliberate obstruction of the vital human rights work of the organisation".
Among those calling for legal action is Agnes Callamard, the head of Amnesty International and a former special rapporteur.
"I think what is more likely to have an impact is other governments, including Albanese’s own government and the EU to take a very strong stand against the sanctions," she told reporters.
"But we cannot let the UN off the hook, and we do need to demand that it responds to the attack" she continued.
The sanctions have further garnered widespread anger from rights groups and activists.
Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch, said on X: "There seems to be no limit to what the Trump administration will do to try and deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza. None of this chest beating is likely to work."
Albanese last week released a damming investigation on 60 companies that are involved in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as support in Israel's war on Gaza.
The report, entitled 'From economy of occupation to economy of genocide', called on the companies, which range from arms manufacturers to tech companies and retail firms, to cease their work with Israel and for legal accountability for company executives implicated in alleged violations of international law.