This Friday,Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez awarded on Thursday the Civil Merit Order to Francesca Albanese, in recognition of her work documenting violations of international law in the Gaza Strip.
Pedro Sánchez welcomed Francesca Albanese to Madrid, where the two officials discussed the situation in Palestine, the importance of international law, as well as “the necessity of an immediate end to the violence and the construction of a lasting peace based on dignity and humanity,” according to a statement from the Spanish government.
“Public responsibility also implies the moral obligation not to look away,” Sánchez wrote on social media, praising Albanese as “a voice that defends the conscience of the world.”
The Civil Merit Order ranks among the highest Spanish civilian distinctions. It rewards Spanish and foreign citizens for extraordinary services rendered to the State or to society.
As a reminder, Sánchez had on Tuesday sent a letter to the European Commission requesting activation of the European Union’s “blocking statute” to counter American sanctions targeting Francesca Albanese as well as judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court.
