Courage International AISBL

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[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Francesca Albanese is trying to stop a genocide. That is her crime.
The United States and Israel are trying to stop her – by destroying her life, her career, her family, and her voice.
The US has sanctioned UN Special Rapporteur @FranceskAlbs along with 8 ICC judges, 3 court officials, and Palestinian human rights organisations Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHR.

The message is chilling: investigate genocide and we will destroy your life.

[WikiLeaks @wikileaks]

"Albanese has done nothing more than speak" — Justice Richard J. Leon.

US court temporarily blocks Trump's "vastly over inclusive" sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine @FranceskAlbs on freedom of speech grounds. Will Europe now act?

Albanese had submitted reports denouncing Israel's mass killing and ethnic cleansing. She also named US companies such as Google and Palantir who facilitated Israel's actions.

The ruling was made by senior DC judge Richard D. Leon who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002.

US sanctions are still active against European and Canadian ICC judges (the legality of which was not considered) and punitive measures against Albanese could be reimposed during subsequent hearings.

The EU can block the sanctions using its "blocking statute" — a move Spain's government said it would back. But will it?

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Justice prevailed before US Courts! They were willing to do what Europe failed to do; uphold @FranceskAlbs freedom of expression! The sanctions have been suspended!

[Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt @FranceskAlbs]

BREAKING! US court ha suspended the US sanctions against me!
As the judge says: "Protecting the Freedom of speech is always just the public interest".
Thanks to my daughter and my husband for stepping up to defend me, and everyone who has helped so far.

Together we are One.

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Sign our petition to Demand that the EU protect .@FranceskAlbs the ICC Judges, Prosecutors and Palestinian HR NGOs: https://t.co/eOsUxcSmJY

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Francesca Albanese is trying to stop a genocide. That is her crime.
The United States and Israel are trying to stop her – by destroying her life, her career, her family, and her voice.
The US has sanctioned UN Special Rapporteur @FranceskAlbs along with 8 ICC judges, 3 court officials, and Palestinian human rights organisations Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHR.

The message is chilling: investigate genocide and we will destroy your life.

[Pedro Sánchez @sanchezcastejon]

La responsabilidad pública también implica la obligación moral de no mirar hacia otro lado.

Es un honor otorgar la Orden del Mérito Civil a una voz que sostiene la conciencia del mundo: @FranceskAlbs, Relatora Especial de la ONU en el territorio palestino ocupado.

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Pedro Sánchez calls on the EU Commission to activate the Blocking Regulation to protect .@FranceskAlbs and ICC judges and prosecutors hit with US Sanctions. You can help us put further pressure on the Commission by signing our Petition at https://courageinternational./sign

[Pedro Sánchez @sanchezcastejon]

España no mira hacia otro lado.
Sancionar a quienes defienden la justicia internacional es poner en riesgo todo el sistema de derechos humanos.

La UE no puede permanecer de brazos cruzados ante esta persecución.

Por eso, hoy pedimos a la Comisión que active el Estatuto de Bloqueo, para proteger la independencia de la Corte Penal Internacional y de Naciones Unidas, y sus acciones para acabar con el genocidio en Gaza.

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Join our fight to end US sanctions against .@FranceskAlbs the ICC and 🇵🇸 HR NGOs! They are trying to stop a genocide - the US is trying to stop them. Join us Sign the petition at https://t.co/Pb0xO5yXHW and demand that the EU activate the Blocking Statute to rebank Fancesca!

[WikiLeaks @wikileaks]

She's trying to stop a genocide.
They are trying to stop her.

Demand action to counter the US-Israeli sanctions on @FranceskAlbs and others.

Sign up: now is the time for Courage.

https://t.co/tpD1QmqUEZ

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

She's trying to stop a genocide. They are trying to stop her. By sanctioning Francesca Albanese, the US government is staging a direct assault on international justice!
The EU must act. Sign here: https://t.co/fXkhBs76QR
#DemandJustice #DefendtheDefenders @FranceskAlbs

[Committee to Protect Journalists @pressfreedom]

CPJ calls on Kuwaiti authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, detained under new security and fake news laws.

Read more: https://t.co/H1qBu1OCFg

#FreeAhmed #FreeAhmedEldin

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Join Courage in demanding action from the EU to protect Francesca Albanese and other defenders of International law against US sanctions. Our petition is live! Please sign and share!
https://t.co/eOsUxcSmJY

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Courage has gone Global!

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

'Without immediate intervention, Gaza's last reporters will die'
'Without immediate intervention, Gaza's last reporters will die'
'Without immediate intervention, Gaza's last reporters will die'

[The Cradle @TheCradleMedia]

AFP journalists' union warns: 'Without immediate intervention, Gaza’s last reporters will die':

21 July, 2025

"AFP has been working with one freelance writer, three photographers, and six freelance videographers in the Gaza Strip since the departure of its staff journalists in early 2024. Along with a few others, they are now the only ones left to report on what is happening in Gaza. International media has been barred from entering the territory for nearly two years.

We refuse to watch them die.

One of them, Bashar, has been a collaborator with AFP since 2010, first as a fixer, then as a freelance photographer, and since 2024 as the main photographer.

On Saturday, July 19, he managed to post a message on Facebook:

'I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin, and I can’t work anymore.'

Bashar, 30, works and lives in the same conditions as all Gazans, moving from one refugee camp to another depending on the Israeli bombings. For over a year, he has lived in absolute destitution while continuing to work at great personal risk. Hygiene has become a major issue for him, with recurring bouts of severe intestinal illnesses.

Since February, Bashar has been living in the ruins of his home in Gaza City with his mother, four brothers and sisters, and the family of one of his brothers. Their home has been stripped of all furnishings and comforts, with only a few cousins nearby. On Sunday morning, he reported that his younger brother had 'collapsed from hunger.'

Even though these journalists receive a monthly salary from AFP, there is often nothing to buy or prices are outrageously high. The banking system has collapsed, and those who exchange online account balances take a 40% commission.

AFP can no longer ensure they have access to drinking water or enough fuel to allow them to travel for reporting. Driving a car essentially means risking being a target for Israeli airstrikes. AFP reporters now move mostly on foot or in a cart pulled by a donkey.

Ahlam, another journalist, survives in the south of Gaza. She insists on 'testifying' for as long as she can. 'Every time I leave the tent to cover an event, do an interview, or document something, I don’t know if I’ll come back alive.'

Her biggest problem, she confirms, is the lack of food and water.

We see their situation worsening. They are young, and their strength is fading. Most no longer have the physical capacity to travel the enclave to do their job. Their cries for help, heartbreaking, are now daily.

In recent days, their short messages have shown us that they no longer have much hope and that the courage they’ve shown for months while the world looked away will no longer be enough to help them survive.

We may learn of their deaths at any moment, and that thought is unbearable. This Sunday, Bashar wrote:
'For the first time, I feel defeated.'

Later that same day, he told one of us he’d be grateful 'if you could explain that we live every day between death and starvation,' and:
'I wish President Macron could help me get out of this hell.'

Ahlam is still holding on.
'I try to continue my work, to be the voice of the people, to document the truth despite all attempts to silence me. Here, resisting is not a choice: it’s a necessity.'

Since AFP’s founding in 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have seen our staff wounded and imprisoned���but none of us can recall ever having a colleague die of hunger."

– The outgoing Board of the SDJ (AFP Journalists’ Union)

[WikiLeaks @wikileaks]

Unforgettable moment: Julian Assange sets foot in Australia after 14 years of detention. One year ago today.

[WikiLeaks @wikileaks]

One year ago today, Julian Assange began his 48-hour journey to freedom, leaving Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom and boarding a jet bound for Australia via the remote U.S. island of Saipan.

“365 days have passed, but we are light years away from Belmarsh prison. To all the supporters who helped make this possible — there are no words to express how grateful we are to have Julian free.” - Stella Assange

[WikiLeaks @wikileaks]

Keir Starmer’s government has announced that it will ban British protest group Palestine Action using ‘terrorism’ laws. The group is paying for its success in targeting Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, which directly lobbied British authorities to crack down on the activists.

Israel’s embassy in London appears to have also pressured the British government to intervene in Palestine Action court cases, although relevant documents released under FOI were heavily redacted as they “would be likely to prejudice the UK’s relations with Israel.”

Now Elbit and Israel have got their way, and for the first time a protest organisation will be banned (on 30 June) in Britain under the Terrorism Act, alongside groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida.

[Defending Rights & Dissent @RightsDissent]

After 104 days in ICE detention, Mahmoud Khalil was released on a judge’s order last weekend. But the Trump administration remains committed to deporting him.

@ChipGibbons89 explains what's next, for @jacobin: https://t.co/dHDQi2x3eT

[IFJ @IFJGlobal]

#USA 🇺🇸: Journalist #MarioGuevara, who has lived in the US for over 20 years, now faces deportation after being arrested while live reporting on #NoKing protests. Arresting & threatening to deport him for doing his job is unacceptable. @abellanger49 https://t.co/uYrcaY9pP2

[Courage International AISBL @couragefound]

Israel censors foreign press coverage of Iranian strike sites

“We are deeply concerned by the Israeli authorities’ escalating efforts to suppress press freedom through censorship and intimidation,” says @pressfreedom

https://t.co/8tkdK9VZzg