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Hague verdict for ex-spokeswoman | Hague verdict for ex-spokeswoman |
(about 4 hours later) | |
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague is due to deliver a verdict on a former official court spokeswoman. | The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague is due to deliver a verdict on a former official court spokeswoman. |
French journalist Florence Hartmann, who held the post for six years, is accused of contempt of court. | French journalist Florence Hartmann, who held the post for six years, is accused of contempt of court. |
She is charged with disclosing the existence of confidential documents on Serbian government involvement in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. | |
The documents were discussed in a book and article published by Ms Hartmann. | The documents were discussed in a book and article published by Ms Hartmann. |
The confidential documents in question were only released by Belgrade for the trial of the former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. | The confidential documents in question were only released by Belgrade for the trial of the former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. |
But Florence Hartmann argued that they should have been made available during a separate trial at the International Court of Justice in which Bosnia unsuccessfully tried to sue Serbia for genocide. | But Florence Hartmann argued that they should have been made available during a separate trial at the International Court of Justice in which Bosnia unsuccessfully tried to sue Serbia for genocide. |
Ms Hartmann's defence counsel says that other journalists had written about the documents before her publications and that this case is merely intended to set a legal precedent. | Ms Hartmann's defence counsel says that other journalists had written about the documents before her publications and that this case is merely intended to set a legal precedent. |
If convicted, Florence Hartmann faces up to seven years in jail or a fine of almost £90,000 ($150,000). | If convicted, Florence Hartmann faces up to seven years in jail or a fine of almost £90,000 ($150,000). |
The precise content of the documents has never been made public, but they are thought to chronicle contacts between the Serbian government and the Bosnian Serb army. | The precise content of the documents has never been made public, but they are thought to chronicle contacts between the Serbian government and the Bosnian Serb army. |
Ms Hartmann maintains they could prove a link between Belgrade and war crimes committed in Bosnia - most notably the massacre of up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys at the Bosnian village of Srebrenica in 1995. | Ms Hartmann maintains they could prove a link between Belgrade and war crimes committed in Bosnia - most notably the massacre of up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys at the Bosnian village of Srebrenica in 1995. |
Critics of the case say that such papers should never have been the subject of a confidentiality order in the first place. | Critics of the case say that such papers should never have been the subject of a confidentiality order in the first place. |
The tribunal argues that it has the right to prevent documents from being leaked and that Florence Hartmann, as a permanent employee, was fully aware of the court's rules and procedures. |
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