MEPs up in arms of sanctions decision

Martin Banks
Credit: Chedly Ben Ibrahim/Nur Photo

The chairman of the European Parliament’s Palestine delegation has attached the decision to impose sanctions against the UN Special Rapporteur.  

The Left  Group in the assembly said it “condemns in the strongest terms” the decision by the Donald Trump administration to sanction UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

The Group has called for the implementation of the EU’s ‘blocking statute’ to “protect” EU citizens from US sanctions. 

It goes on to say that the latest decision by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to add Albanese to the sanctions list

“is the latest attack on international law by the Trump administration.”

The chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Palestine Lynn Boylan (Sinn Féin, Ireland) was highly critical.

She told this site: 

“The sanctioning of Francesca Albanese represents a new low for the United States Government.

“It’s apparent that this decision is an attack on the UN Special Rapporteur for telling the truth.

“EU leaders must make it clear that they support the UN Special Rapporteur and her mandate and will take all steps to protect her and her crucial work.

“Anything less is an act of cowardice and complicity and represents a capitulation to the undermining of the UN system and international law.” 

The Left, in a statement, said it calls for the implementation of the European Union’s ‘blocking statute’ to “protect both the UN Special Rapporteur and the International Criminal Court in the course of their vital work.”

The blocking statute prohibits European operators from complying with US sanctions that have extraterritorial reach.

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Martin Banks is an experienced British-born journalist who has been covering the EU beat (and much else besides) in Brussels since 2001. Previously, he had worked for many years in regional journalism in the UK and freelanced for national titles. He has a keen interest in foreign affairs and has closely followed the workings of the European Parliament and MEPs in particular for some years.
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