GENEVA, August 4, 2025 — For the first time ever, a U.N. official has lost verified status on social media. Francesca Albanese, the controversial U.N. special rapporteur on Palestine who was sanctioned by the United States last month, has lost her “blue check” verified status on X, formerly Twitter, just days after a legal appeal was sent to the platform’s owner Elon Musk by a law firm representing Geneva-based watchdog group UN Watch.
The letter, sent on July 31 to Elon Musk and the legal team at X, called on the company to remove Albanese’s blue check mark in light of her designation under U.S. sanctions. The verification badge was removed from her account on August 4.
“This is a major achievement,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch. “Verification on X provided Albanese with many advantages — greater visibility, algorithmic amplification, and an appearance of credibility. Stripping that badge sends a clear message: anyone who targets U.S. officials and companies and supports terrorists will suffer consequences, no matter their title.”
The loss of the verification badge comes less than a month after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed sanctions on Albanese, citing what he called her “illegitimate and shameful efforts” to prompt International Criminal Court action against U.S. and Israeli officials and companies.
The sanctions, which were announced on July 9th and go into full force on August 8th, freeze her U.S.-based assets, bar her from entering the country, and prohibit Americans and U.S. entities from providing her with goods or services.
Albanese recently decried the damage caused her by the sanctions, saying there were “harmful” and “dangerous.” She said that “it’s very serious to be on the list of the people sanctioned by the U.S.,” adding that she now cannot have financial interactions or credit cards with any American bank. “My daughter is American. I’ve been living in the U.S. and I have some assets there. So of course, it’s going to harm me,” Albanese said.
UN Watch, which led the campaign urging Washington to take action, said the move by Elon Musk’s X platform is part of the watchdog group’s broader effort to ensure full enforcement of the sanctions against Albanese across all platforms and institutions. UN Watch’s petition earlier this year to Secretary Rubio, the first to call for sanctions on Albanese, had gathered more than 120,000 signatures.
“We are going to continue approaching key U.S. companies to ensure that the sanctions are fully and vigorously enforced, ” Neuer said. “Foreigners who target American officials and companies while supporting Hamas terrorism can be sanctioned, and even if they try to hide behind the diplomatic shield of a U.N. title, they can be made to suffer the consequences. The message today is that justice will be served.”
“Sanctions only work if they’re enforced. That means making sure U.S. companies and institutions — from Harvard to PayPal, from Instagram to Airbnb — cut ties with Hamas supporter Francesca Albanese. No speaking gigs, no payments, no platforms. We’ve launched a rapid-response task force to notify targets, demand compliance, and take action where violations occur. Zero tolerance for antisemites and terror supporters is our demand to the U.N., and we’re bringing maximum legal pressure and media exposure.”
Albanese has faced widespread condemnation for promoting antisemitism and legitimizing Hamas terrorism. She was condemned by France, Germany, Canada and the United States for antisemitic remarks, including for her repeated comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany, and for her comments following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, which she said needed to be “put in context.”
In 2022, the U.S. special envoy to combat antisemitism condemned Albanese for her past statements alleging that the “Jewish lobby” controls American policy. She was also denounced for a 2015 post falsely blaming the CIA and Mossad for the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris.
In May, UN Watch declared Albanese’s U.N. mandate legally expired due to procedural violations surrounding her reappointment. The group has called on the U.N. to officially terminate her role, and to apply stricter vetting to future appointees.
Neuer said UN Watch would continue to monitor U.S. platforms and corporations to ensure compliance with U.S. sanctions.
“X did the right thing,” he said. “Others should follow.”
