We sent the following letter to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz today.Dear Chancellor Scholz,
we are turning to you with great urgency. On 4 April 2025 the UN Human Rights Council intends to extend, without debate, the mandate of Francesca Albanese as Special Rapporteur on the “situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967” by three years. That would be a grave mistake and a setback for the credibility of international human rights work. Germany must speak out clearly against its continuation.
The role of a UN Special Rapporteur demands the highest standards of objectivity, impartiality and sensitivity, particularly in dealing with complex conflicts and human rights questions. Unfortunately, Ms Albanese has repeatedly and publicly advanced positions and narratives that fundamentally undermine these basic requirements and are clearly antisemitic in character. She has therefore been officially condemned for antisemitism by Germany and France: the Auswärtige Amt rightly spoke of a “disgrace”.[1]
Our concerns rest on a series of documented statements and actions by Ms Albanese that disqualify her from this important office:
- Antisemitic tropes: Albanese has repeatedly spoken of “Jewish lobbies” and claimed that the USA is “subjugated” to them[2] – classic conspiracy narratives that have been condemned worldwide as antisemitic.
- Relativising the Holocaust: In July 2024 she commented “that is exactly what I thought” beneath an image comparing Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hitler – a grotesque comparison that plays down the Shoah.[3] Such Nazi comparisons run like a thread through her communications.
- Playing down 7 October: Albanese contradicted President Macron, who had described the Hamas massacre as the “greatest antisemitic massacre of our century”, and claimed that the victims had been killed “because of Israeli oppression”[4] – a dangerous distortion of reality.
- Playing down terrorism: She repeatedly described Palestinian violence as inevitable and justified, played down rocket attacks by Islamic Jihad[5] and spoke at a Hamas conference of the “right to resistance”.[6]
- Conflicts of interest: In her UN application form[7] she concealed the fact that her husband had worked for the Palestinian government[8] and that she had founded a network calling on states to charge Israel with “genocide”[9] – a clear breach of transparency and neutrality.
These examples are not isolated cases but the expression of systematic misconduct that is incompatible with the requirements of a UN mandate.
Moreover, the question arises in any case whether such a “special rapporteur mandate” is needed at all. For even the title of the mandate is disconcerting: Resolution 1993/2 obliges the Special Rapporteur one-sidedly to investigate alleged Israeli human rights violations, while violations by other actors such as Hamas or the Palestinian Authority are excluded. Previous mandate holders such as Hannu Halinen[10] criticised the mandate as biased.
We therefore call on the Bundesregierung:
- To publicly condemn the conduct of Francesca Albanese and to reject her antisemitic, inflammatory and partisan statements;
- To speak out clearly against her appointment on 4 April 2025 and to work towards her immediate removal;
- To advocate in the UN Human Rights Council the abolition or fundamental reform of the “Special Rapporteur”, since it compromises universal human rights through political instrumentalisation.
The credibility of the United Nations and the worldwide fight against antisemitism are at stake. Germany should live up to this with clarity and determination.
With concerned regards,
Elio Adler
– Chairman of the Board –
[1] https://x.com/GermanyDiplo/status/1756674368606736529
[2] https://x.com/HillelNeuer/status/1772792100372852893
[3] https://x.com/ADL/status/1816581111050375178
[4] https://x.com/FranceskAlbs/status/1756351236909965591
[5] https://x.com/FranceskAlbs/status/1555836586985676800
[6] https://www.jns.org/un-envoy-to-hamas-you-have-the-right-to-fight-israel/
[7] https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2021-12/ALBANESE_Francesca_form.pdf
[8] https://unwatch.org/massimiliano-cali-antisemitism-and-incitement-to-terrorism-on-facebook/
[9] https://unwatch.org/exposed-francesca-albaneses-global-influence-network-targeting-israel/
[10] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2009/10/informal-note-press-briefing-mr-hannu-halinen-special-rapporteur-situation
