Microsoft ends cooperation with ICC due to US sanctions, lead counsel says
US restrictive measures have forced the International Criminal Court to turn to alternative digital services and complicated its operations.
Quick Look
Microsoft has severed ties with the International Criminal Court due to US sanctions, forcing the Court to switch to alternative digital services and complicating operations and lawyer payments, according to ICC lead counsel Geert-Jan Alexander Knoops.
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Why It Matters
The US has previously imposed restrictions on ICC officials following investigations involving Washington and allies like Israel.
THE HAGUE, September 24. /TASS/. Microsoft has ended cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to US sanctions, which forced the Court to turn to alternative digital services, lead counsel at the ICC Geert-Jan Alexander Knoops told TASS.
"A company like Microsoft has severed ties with the ICC due to existing sanctions, forcing the Court to switch to other digital services," he said, adding that the move made the work of lawyers involved in court proceedings more difficult.
US sanctions could hamper the work of the Court, whose activities are being criticized by many countries, including Russia, Knoops noted. Specifically, the refusal of banks to service the ICC because of the threat of secondary sanctions could jeopardize ongoing investigations and proceedings. The lawyer does not rule out that the European Union’s protective measures to counter US sanctions will even fail to remove the risks for banks.
The US restrictive measures could potentially affect all 900 employees of the Court, complicating their travel and access to their bank cards, he said, adding that in the current situation the ICC is paying salaries to staff and fees to lawyers in three-month installments.
US sanctions against ICC
On September 20, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials and documents, that the US administration was preparing broad sanctions against the ICC that would affect the majority of financial transactions with the court, which could potentially paralyze its operations by prohibiting transactions in dollars and cutting off its access to a large part of the financial system.
The current US administration has already imposed sanctions on the ICC several times. US President Donald Trump signed a decree imposing restrictions on the court’s officials on February 6, 2025. The US has accused the ICC of unlawful conduct against Washington and its allies, such as Israel.
ICC and Russia
In 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree stating that Moscow would not become a party to the ICC. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the court has not lived up to the hopes invested in it and has not become a truly independent body of international justice.
Open Questions
- Will EU protective measures shield banks servicing the ICC?
- How will alternative digital services impact ICC data security?
