UN prosecutors drop contempt charges against Croatian journalists
The Croatian Worldwide Association thanks all of you who have supported the journalists through you countless of letters, phonecalls, emails and faxes. Our lobbying efforts finally paid off. The work is not over and we must continue to ensure journalist Josip Jovic's indictment is dropped as well. Also, we must further work to ensure General Ante Gotovina's indictment is dropped by the United Nations court. We are making a difference. Thank you!
Agence France Presse
UN prosecutors drop contempt charges against Croatian journalists
THE HAGUE, June 15 2006
Chief UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said Thursday she will drop contempt charges against three Croatian journalists accused of publishing the name of a protected witness who testified during the 1997 trial of Bosnian Croat general Tihomir Blaskic.
"The office of the prosecutor is under increasing pressure .. to limit the scope of its prosecutions. Thus I choose to exercise my prosecutorial discretion not to proceed with the case against (Stjepan) Seselj, (Domagoj) Margetic and (Marijan) Krizic," Del Ponte said in a statement.
Krizic is the editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Hrvatsko Slovo, which also employs Seselj and Margetic as journalists.
Contempt charges against Josip Jovic,editor-in-chief of the Croatian daily Slobodna Dalmacija, for a similar alleged offence will remain.
A contempt conviction carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a 100,000 euro (121,000 dollar) fine.
In March former Croatian intelligence chief Markica Rebic and Ivica Marijacic, editor-in-chief of the Hrvatski List newspaper were fined 15,000 euros (18,150 dollars) for contempt of court.
Rebic was convicted for supplying Marijacic with the name of a protected witness who testified in the Blaskic case in 1997. Hrvatski List published the name in November 2004.
Although the indictment does not specify, it is widely believed that the charges centre on the same protected witness.
Witness protection is a key focus of the ICTY as it tries to gather evidence of war crimes committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.