The US sanctions against me are "punitive and persecutory. I am being punished for carrying out my work, which has only one goal: to assist the United Nations by doing what they ask of me, monitoring violations of international law committed by Israel as the occupying authority in Palestinian land and safeguarding human rights. For this reason, they are persecutory, personal, and must be institutionally rejected — this is not something I can defend myself from alone". Francesca Albanese, UN rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, talks in the Senate press room during a conference organized by Red-Green group leader Peppe De Cristofaro to discuss the impact of US sanctions against her. "In the sanctions", she explained, “there is no talk of economic contacts or donations — I do not receive donations. I'm now on sabbatical, but when I work, I earn a salary or other compensation. Right now, I can't get them since I don't have a bank account, nor can I do anything else. To provide a practical example, I returned to Naples, Italy, for family reasons. In these situations, I always rent a car, but I can't do it now because I don't have a credit card. The complications are real for me; I need to carry cash. Any American who collaborates with me is subject to fines and a maximum of 20 years in prison. "Other countries", she explains, "have voiced their solidarity directly, officially, in public, and in private — but not the Italian government, or other institutions beyond individual parliamentarians".