More than 150 former ministers, ambassadors, and diplomats issued an open letter accusing Jean-Noel Barrot of spreading disinformation about UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese after he cited a video later alleged to be AI-manipulated. The signatories said relying on altered material to criticize a UN mandate holder damages trust in international institutions and urged France to retract the remarks. Barrot rejected the accusation, insisting he neither distorted nor misrepresented her statements and that his criticism was justified.

The controversy began after a speech Albanese delivered in Doha, where she said international law had been gravely undermined and humanity faced a “common enemy.” Critics, including officials in Germany and Israel, interpreted the phrase as referring to Israel, while she clarified that she meant a broader system enabling violence and impunity. A shortened clip circulated online appeared to support the harsher interpretation before a full version was released.

The edited footage was widely shared by UN Watch, which campaigns against what it calls anti-Israel bias in international bodies. The dispute escalated further after authorities in United States imposed sanctions on Albanese and staff linked to the International Criminal Court over investigations related to the war on Ga-za. UN officials warned that punitive measures against human rights investigators risk weakening the global accountability system.