Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, condemned recent attacks by ministers in France, Czechia, Austria, Germany, and Italy calling for the resignation of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who monitors human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967. Callamard stated that the attacks were based on a deliberately truncated video that misrepresented Albanese’s remarks and emphasized that the ministers should publicly retract their statements, apologize, and investigate how the disinformation spread. She highlighted the contrast between these ministers’ silence on Israel’s alleged violations and Albanese’s commitment to speaking truth to power.
Callamard underscored the importance of Albanese’s work, noting that her investigations rely on hard evidence and international law to expose alleged Israeli violations, including claims of genocide, apartheid, and unlawful occupation. Despite a temporary truce in Gaza in October 2025, she stated that conditions have not improved, with ongoing Israeli military operations killing over 590 Palestinians in Gaza since the truce and more than 1,100 Palestinians killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 2023. These actions, Callamard argued, demonstrate the impunity with which Israel operates and the broader threat to the credibility of international human rights mechanisms.
The Secretary General emphasized that third states’ failure to uphold international law—including arming Israel or turning a blind eye to alleged violations—undermines global human rights institutions. She warned that the use of misinformation against independent UN experts like Albanese threatens the integrity of human rights and the rule of law. Callamard called on European states to uphold their legal obligations, actively support UN mechanisms, and hold Israel accountable for its alleged actions rather than participating in disinformation campaigns against human rights defenders.
The controversy arose after Albanese’s remarks at an Al Jazeera forum in Doha on 7 February 2026 were misconstrued. She had criticized the international system enabling Israel’s actions, referring to “financial capital, algorithms, and weapons” as enablers of ongoing violence, not Israel itself. Following this, the French Foreign Minister and other European ministers called for her resignation, prompting widespread condemnation from human rights advocates and organizations defending the autonomy and credibility of UN-appointed experts.
