The UN war crimes tribunal on Wednesday sentenced a Croatian journalist to three months in prison after finding him guilty of contempt for revealing the the names and personal details of confidential witnesses who had testified in one of its cases.
Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), sitting in The Hague also fined freelance journalist Domagoj Margetic €10,000 ($12,990) after concluding that by publishing the names of witnesses who testified during the trial of Croat militia commander Tihomir Blaskic, he had put them at risk.
He will receive credit for the 34 days he spent detained in custody in Croatia.
"The trial chamber finds that Margetic has committed contempt of the tribunal ... by disclosing information in violation of an order and by interfering with witnesses," judge Alphonsus Orie said. Judge Orie said Margetic had displayed a "reckless disregard" for the safety of witnesses, many of whom were protected because of their vulnerability.
Margetic published a list of protected witnesses in the trial of Tihomir Blaškic on his personal website between July 7 and August 2 last year, despite receiving explicit warnings that the material was confidential and protected under court orders. In one article he acknowledged that the witnesses’ identities were protected, and in others he published the pseudonyms of two witnesses.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of six months and a 50,000 euro fine.
The Hague-based tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, set up to investigate wars in the region in the 1990s, sentenced Blaskic to 45 years in prison in 2000 for crimes against humanity, war crimes and other charges. His sentence was reduced to nine years on appeal in 2004.
The tribunal has held contempt proceedings against 19 people, including accused, defence counsel, witnesses, journalists and others for charges including intimidating witnesses, refusing to answer questions in court, leaking confidential court documents, and breaching protective measures, the UN Observer reported.
