M5S Member of the European Parliament Danilo Della Valle urges the EU to activate the blocking statute to protect Francesca Albanese and International Criminal Court judges from US sanctions, arguing their rights as European citizens have been violated.

In a statement, Della Valle said the European Commission should activate the blocking statute to protect the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, and the ICC judges sanctioned by the United States – Slovenian Beti Hohler and French judge Francois Guillou – if it wants to avoid reputational damage.

Della Valle said Albanese’s rights were violated by the Trump administration and that neither EU institutions nor the Italian government intervened on her behalf. He noted that a U.S. judge later restored justice and emphasized that Albanese is an Italian and European citizen, questioning the silence of EU President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

He added that the Commission should activate the blocking statute, the legal mechanism designed to shield EU citizens and entities from third-country sanctions such as those imposed by the United States. According to Della Valle, the sanctions have prevented Albanese and the ICC judges from using credit cards or bank accounts, which he described as an unacceptable violation of the rights of individuals who work to uphold international law.