UN rapporteur for Palestine receives human rights award

ISTANBUL

For her fight for the Palestinian people, UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese received the 2025 Dries van Agt Award on Wednesday.

The award was presented by the Netherlands-based The Rights Forum in The Hague.

The Rights Forum pointed out that she “plainly” tells the truth about Israel’s genocide in Gaza while others “hide behind terms like ‘complexity.’”

“Albanese was among the first within the UN to state that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” the Rights Forum said in a statement.

The group also applauded her for remaining unfettered in the face of attacks calling her antisemitic and trying to discredit her voice.

“This woman is a force of nature. Her courage is contagious. She fearlessly exposes the severity of Israel’s violations but also the West’s double standards,” said Berber van der Woude, chair of The Rights Forum.

The Forum underlined that Albanese was “a deserving recipient of the Dries van Agt Award,” which is given to those committed to human rights and international law in Palestine.

In 2024, it honored the Dutch group Plant een Olijfboom, led by Esther van de Most, for its efforts to raise awareness and plant olive trees as a way to protect Palestinian land from settlers.