Human rights activists today rushed to support the UN's highest-ranking  expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her for what Washington claims is unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese is the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to draft reports on specific global issues.

It has long been critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians and this month released a report accusing at least 60 companies, including some in the US, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Israeli military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced yesterday, Wednesday, that Albanese's name will be added to the list of sanctions imposed by the US for work that incites what they describe as illegal prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on Washington to withdraw.

Even when they disagree vehemently, UN member states should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resorting to punitive measures, he said.

Jörg Loeber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on member states to avoid acts of intimidation and retaliation against the body's experts.

I will continue to do what I have to do, Francesca Albanese said today in response to US sanctions during a press conference in Ljubljana.

Marianna Kadzharova, special rapporteur on human rights in Russia, expressed concern that other countries will follow the US example.

"It is completely unacceptable and opens the floodgates for any other government to do the same," he told Reuters."It is an attack on the UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce it."

Russia rejected Khazarova's order and refused to allow her entry into the country, but has not yet publicly added her name to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions on officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galal for war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Criminal Court, is considering a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces committed war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war, which was sparked by a bloody attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel in October 2023.

The United States is working to dismantle the rules and institutions that survivors of grave violations rely on, said Liz Emerson of Human Rights Watch.

Former head of the organization Kenneth Roth called the US sanctions an attempt to prevent the prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, claiming it is biased against Israel.