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Silencing the Truth: Francesca Albanese, Genocide in Gaza, and the Global Gag Order on Palestine
By Marivel Guzman
Independent Journalist & Founder of Akashma News
April 17, 2025
Two days ago, the United Nations reaffirmed Francesca Albanese as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a world gripped by cognitive dissonance and silenced dissent, Albanese dares to call the Palestinian tragedy by its true name: genocide. Her latest report, “Anatomy of a Genocide“, offers damning evidence that Israel’s military assault on Gaza constitutes a systematic attempt to destroy a people.
But rather than reckon with this truth, governments across the Global North are criminalizing solidarity. In the U.S., laws are being passed to suppress the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and to punish those who criticize Israel—a foreign government—while eroding citizens’ First Amendment rights in the process. The irony is staggering: while a genocide unfolds in full view, protected speech is being rebranded as antisemitism, and moral outrage is being legislated out of public discopaste.
A Mandate Without Access
Since her appointment in 2022, Francesca Albanese has not been permitted by Israel to enter Gaza or the West Bank—a restriction imposed on all UN Special Rapporteurs on Palestine since the mandate’s creation in 1993. Albanese relies instead on remote testimony, NGO documentation, satellite evidence, and legal analysis. Despite these barriers, her findings are among the most legally grounded assessments of Israel’s actions in occupied Palestine.
Her 2024 report, “Anatomy of a Genocide”, details how Israel’s conduct—including mass killings, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and deliberate displacement—meets the legal definition of genocide as defined in the 1948 Genocide Convention.
From Genocide to Gag Orders
While Albanese investigates mass atrocities, many so-called democracies are racing to erase public discussion of them. In the United States, anti-BDS laws now exist in over 30 states, targeting individuals and businesses that refuse to contract with Israeli firms on moral grounds. In Germany, France, and the UK, expressions of solidarity with Palestinians have been met with censorship, arrests, and surveillance.
These legal maneuvers don’t just suppress criticism—they distort reality. By branding calls for justice as “hate,” governments are protecting war crimes under the banner of anti-discrimination, while dismantling constitutional protections from within.
What Francesca Albanese Represents
Albanese’s work matters not only because of her courage but because it re-centers the Palestinian narrative around law, justice, and dignity. She calls on the world to “wake up from mass numbness,” and reminds us that silence is complicity. Her presence at the UN is a crack in the wall of institutional denial.
What We Can Do
We, as journalists and citizens, have a responsibility to push back.
Share Her Reports and Speeches Widely
Albanese’s work is available through the OHCHR site and respected blogs like Richard Falk’s. Sharing these counters censorship and whitewashing.
Support legal organizations like Al-Haq and PCHR.
Write to lawmakers opposing speech-curbing bills.
Defend the right to boycott.
Speak up even when it’s uncomfortable.
The genocide in Gaza is not a future risk—it is an unfolding reality. And every attempt to suppress that truth is part of the crime.
The genocide in Gaza is not a future risk—it is an unfolding reality. And every attempt to suppress that truth is part of the crime.
“Silence is complicity. Numbness is defeat.” — Francesca Albanese
Social media is a public space
May 06, 2019
By Akashma News
Fellow journalists, we must raise our voices against the actions of tech giants such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Their recent measures pose significant threats to free speech, amounting to censorship and potential violations of First Amendment rights.
In May 2019, Facebook banned several high-profile individuals, including Alex Jones and Louis Farrakhan, labeling them as “dangerous individuals.” This action raises concerns about the platform’s role in determining what content users can access, read, or share. As journalists, we must question whether these companies are qualified to dictate the information we consume.
The voices being silenced have the right to be heard, and the public has the right to form their own opinions on matters of interest. These tech companies operate primarily through the internet, a space that should be protected as a public forum.
The U.S. Supreme Court addressed this issue in the landmark case of Packingham v. North Carolina in 2017. The Court ruled that access to social media is a constitutional right, stating that cyberspace is “one of the most important places to exchange views.” This decision underscores the importance of protecting free speech in the digital age.
Public space in the digital era lacks physical form, but its significance in discourse is undeniable. The Supreme Court’s ruling emphasizes that states cannot broadly limit access to social media, reinforcing the idea that these platforms are integral to modern communication.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to hold these companies accountable. We must advocate for transparency and challenge any actions that infringe upon free speech. It is crucial to ensure that these platforms do not become arbiters of truth, controlling the flow of information and stifling diverse perspectives.
In conclusion, the actions of Facebook, Google, and Twitter warrant scrutiny. We must remain vigilant in defending free speech and ensure that the digital public square remains a place for open and diverse discourse.
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