The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) abruptly cut off a video statement after the speaker began criticizing several United Nations officials, including one sanctioned by the Trump administration. The video message was played Friday morning during a UN session in Geneva, Switzerland.
Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute for Human Rights and president of Human Rights, called out several UN officials in her message, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who are under US sanctions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against the Albanians on July 9, 2025, saying she has “unabashedly spewed anti-Semitism, expressed support for terrorism and open contempt for the United States, Israel and the West.”
“That bias has been evident throughout her career, including through the recommendation that the ICC, without legitimate basis, issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,” Rubio added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Francesca Albanese (Getty Images)
Bayefsky noted the irony of the council cutting her video in a proceeding that was supposed to be an “interactive dialogue,” an event where experts are allowed to speak to the council about human rights issues.
“It is a shame that I am being silenced and criticized based on naming names.”
Bayefsky’s statement was cut short when she accused Albanese and Navi Pillay, the former chairman of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and Chris Sidoti, Commissioner of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. She also slammed Khan, who has faced rape allegations. Khan has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Had her video message been played in full, Bayefsky would have criticized Türk’s recent report for failing to demand accountability for the “Palestinian policy of paying to kill Jews, including Hamas terror boss Yahya Sinwar who received half a million dollars in blood money.”
As the video was cut, Ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, president of the Human Rights Council, characterized Bayefsky’s comments as “derogatory, insulting and inflammatory” and said they were “not acceptable.”
“The speaker’s language cannot be allowed because it has exceeded the limits of tolerance and respect within the framework of the council that all of us in this room adhere to,” Suryodipuro said.
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, February 26, 2025. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)
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When asked if the video had been reviewed in advance, Sim said it had been reviewed for length and audio quality to allow for interpretation, but that speakers are ultimately “responsible for the content of their statement.”
“The video statement of the NGO ‘Touro Law Center, The Institute on Human Rights and The Holocaust’ was interrupted when it was judged that the language exceeded the limits of tolerance and respect within the council’s framework and could not be tolerated,” Sim said.
“As the President explained at the time, all speakers must remain within the appropriate framework and terminology used in the work of the Council, which is well known to speakers who routinely participate in Council proceedings. Following that ruling, none of the Council’s Member States objected.”
Flag alley at the United Nations European Headquarters during the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, September 11, 2023. (Denis Balibouse/File Photo/Reuters)
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While Bayefsky’s statement was cut, other statements accusing Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing were allowed to be played and read in full.
This isn’t the first time Bayefsky has been interrupted. Exactly one year ago, on February 27, 2025, her video was cut short when she mentioned the fate of Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Jürg Lauber, then president of the UN Human Rights Council, stopped the video and stated that Bayefsky had used inappropriate language.
Bayefsky began the speech by saying, “The world now knows that Palestinian savages murdered the nine-month-old baby Kfir,” and she was almost immediately interrupted by Lauber.
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“Sorry, I have to interrupt you,” Lauber said abruptly as Bayefsky’s video paused. Lauber briefly objected to the “language” used in the video, but then allowed it to continue. After a few more seconds, the video turned off completely.
Lauber reiterated that “the language used by the speaker cannot be tolerated,” adding that it “clearly exceeds the boundaries of tolerance and respect.”
Last year, when the previous incident occurred, Bayefsky said she believed the entire thing was “staged” because the council had access to her video and a transcript and knew what she would say.
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