Croatian journalists face ICTY charges

20/11/2007

Eight journalists in Croatia could be charged with contempt of court for publishing confidential information.

By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb – 20/11/07

Vecernji List was one of the newspapers that published the information. [Getty Images]

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague has ordered the questioning of eight Croatian journalists who disclosed confidential information related to the war crimes trial of three former Croatian generals.

One of the journalists, Vecernji List reporter Davor Ivankovic, was interviewed on Thursday (November 15th) at The Hague's Zagreb office about his decision to report classified portions of the indictment against Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac.

Three television journalists -- Goran Rotim, Djurica Drobac and Josip Saric -- and four other print journalists -- Sinisa Pavic, Jasna Babic, Snjezana Pavic and Ivan Zvonimir Cicak -- also face questioning.

In May, the journalists published the names of seven military and political officials who were mentioned in the generals' indictment as participants in an alleged joint criminal enterprise during the 1990s. The seven were not indicted nor prosecuted, but their names were listed.

All are well-known to the Croatian public, and were included in a confidential section of the indictment. The journalists, ignoring the ICTY rule that such sections must not be published, released the names.

The reporters will have to explain to ICTY representatives why they did so. They are banned from speaking about their conversations with the investigators and from defending themselves publicly.

Last month, ICTY investigators questioned Slobodna Dalmacija editor-in-chief Mladen Plese, along with the former editor-in-chief of state-run Croatian Television, Vladimir Roncevic, in connection with the same case. Neither has been charged since their interviews.

If charged with contempt and found guilty, journalists could face prison or fines. Through their lawyers, the eight have said they do not intend to reveal why they published the names. Along with many other NGOs in Croatia, they argue that the ICTY is attacking media freedom and the independence of journalists.