UN Watch Press Release
For Immediate Release
Geneva, March 4, 2026 — UN Watch, the Geneva-based non-governmental organization that monitors the United Nations, today condemned UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for knowingly promoting a fake AI-generated image of “165 coffins of schoolgirls” in order to generate support for the Islamic regime of Iran.
The image, which Albanese shared on X (formerly Twitter), was flagged as 97% AI-generated and lacks any verifiable evidence, violating the UN Code of Conduct’s requirement for mandate-holders to rely on objective and reliable facts. Despite community notes and UN Watch exposing the image as fabricated, Albanese doubled down, stating, “The picture is not the issue.”
UN Watch highlighted that this is not the first instance of Albanese spreading disinformation; in 2024, even the UN spokesperson rebuked her for amplifying fake news, emphasizing that “all officials who are associated with the U.N. must take special care not to pass along any disinformation.”
“Francesca Albanese’s actions represent a gross violation of her mandate,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch. “By amplifying fabricated propaganda designed to shield Iran’s regime from accountability, she undermines the credibility of the entire UN human rights system. This fake image was clearly intended to drum up outrage against the U.S. and Israel, while ignoring the regime’s own atrocities, including the recent massacre of tens of thousands of Iranian civilians.”
Due to Albanese’s bias and inflammatory rhetoric that breaches UN impartiality standards, last month, the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic all issued unprecedented repudiations of Albanese’s conduct and have called for her resignation.
Neuer added: “The unprecedented calls for Francesca Albanese’s resignation by the United States and leading European democracies — France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic — expose the depth of her misconduct and the growing consensus that her biased, inflammatory conduct has made her position untenable.”
UN Watch calls on the rectors of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the University of Antwerp, and Ghent University to immediately reconsider their decision to award Albanese an honorary doctorate on April 2, 2026. These institutions must uphold academic integrity and reject honoring individuals who propagate falsehoods under the UN banner.
Additionally, UN Watch urges UN Secretary-General António Guterres to take decisive action by condemning Albanese’s misconduct and calling for her removal.
“Secretary-General Guterres must act now to restore trust in the UN,” said Neuer. “Allowing rapporteurs to peddle regime propaganda — complete with fabricated AI images — without consequence turns the world body into a tool for dictators, not a defender of human rights. The Iranian people, who have fought bravely for freedom, deserve better than to have their suffering exploited in this way.”
About UN Watch
United Nations Watch is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva whose mission is to monitor the performance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter. UN Watch holds the UN accountable to its founding principles by exposing hypocrisy, bias, and abuses. For more information, visit www.unwatch.org.
