Ex-Officials Accuse French Foreign Minister of Spreading Disinformation About UN’s Albanese

In a significant diplomatic controversy, more than 150 former ministers and diplomats have issued an open letter denouncing French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot for allegedly spreading disinformation about UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. The letter urges Barrot to correct his remarks, which the signatories claim were based on manipulated content.

The dispute erupted last week when Barrot called for Albanese’s resignation over comments she reportedly made during a conference on Gaza. His criticism, later echoed by other nations including Germany, centered on a video address Albanese delivered at the Al Jazeera Media Forum in Doha in February.

According to the signatories, Barrot based his criticism on a “digitally distorted version” of Albanese’s speech. In her address, Albanese stated that “international law has been stabbed in the heart” and added that “we now see that we as a humanity have a common enemy.”

Israeli officials and supporters claimed the phrase “common enemy” was directed at Israel. However, Albanese has strongly rejected this interpretation, later posting the full speech and clarifying that “the common enemy of humanity is THE SYSTEM that has enabled the genocide in Palestine,” as well as “the financial capital that funds it, the algorithms that obscure it and the weapons that enable it.”

The former officials expressed concern that when a senior diplomat repeats disputed or manipulated content, it undermines verification standards and threatens the protection of independent UN mandate holders. Analysis has since suggested that the clip cited by Barrot had been edited using cuts and artificial intelligence tools.

“This issue extends beyond any individual mandate-holder,” the letter stated. “It raises broader concerns about the integrity of multilateral institutions and the responsibility of Member States to ensure that UN experts can carry out their mandates free from political interference or disinformation.”

The altered video was reportedly circulated widely by UN Watch, a pro-Israel advocacy group that says it combats “anti-Israel prejudice at the UN” and has previously campaigned against Albanese and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

This controversy emerges against the backdrop of escalating tensions surrounding the Gaza conflict. The signatories cautioned that the dispute should not distract from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where, according to the letter, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and large portions of the territory have been destroyed during the ongoing conflict.

The situation grew more complex earlier this month when the United States imposed what the letter describes as “terrorist-grade sanctions” on Albanese and staff at the International Criminal Court. These sanctions reportedly came after Albanese stated that major US technology firms were complicit in what she characterized as genocide in Gaza.

The United Nations condemned these sanctions as unlawful, warning that targeting officials involved in war crimes investigations could seriously undermine the international human rights system.

The letter emphasizes that disinformation erodes trust in multilateral organizations and deepens divisions among member states. The signatories argue that public officials have a heightened responsibility to verify information and exercise restraint when addressing UN experts.

They have called on the French Foreign Ministry to retract and correct what they view as inaccurate statements about Albanese, and urge Paris to reaffirm its commitment to the independence of UN mandate holders.

This incident highlights growing tensions between diplomatic interests and human rights advocacy in the context of the Israel-Gaza conflict, raising questions about information integrity and political neutrality within international institutions.