Spain's leader Sanchez awards UN's Francesca Albanese Order of Civil Merit

“Spain's leader Sanchez awards UN's Francesca Albanese Order of Civil Merit Submitted by Sondos Asem on Thu, 05/07/2026 - 12:15 Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez describes the UN's Palestine rapporteur as 'a voice that upholds the conscience of the world' Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese at the Spanish presidency on Thursday 7 May 2026 (Photo by Spanish presidency) Off Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday awarded the Order of Civil Merit to the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese, in an apparent show of solidarity with the expert sanctioned by the US for her work. “Public responsibility also entails the moral obligation not to look the other way,” Sanchez wrote in a statement. “It is an honor to award the Order of Civil Merit to a voice that upholds the conscience of the world: Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” The move comes a day after Sanchez formally requested the European Commission to activate the EU’s Blocking Statute to shield the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations from US sanctions. Albanese is the first and only UN special rapporteur to be the target of US sanctions for her work, after the Donald Trump administration imposed financial and visa sanctions on her last year for her work documenting human rights abuses in occupied Palestine, which includes engagement with the ICC and international justice institutions. "Spain does not look the other way," Sanchez wrote on Wednesday. "The EU cannot stand idly by in the face of this persecution," he added, calling on Brussels to protect the independence of both institutions and their "actions to end the genocide in Gaza ". "Sanctioning those who defend international justice puts the entire human rights system at risk." More to follow... International law News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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