Anyone violating this order may be subject to punishment of up to seven years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 100,000 euros, the tribunal said in a statement.
Judge Alphons Orie ordered "the relevant authorities of the Republic of Croatia to serve this order without delay on HKZ-Hrvatsko Slovo d.o.o., Stjepan Seselj and Domagoj Margetic and to provide a written report confirming such service or describing the efforts made to do so".
He further called upon "the authorities of the Republic of Croatia to provide the Tribunal with any information regarding the identity of those potentially responsible for the illegal disclosure of the transcripts and violations of the related orders and decisions of the Tribunal regarding the protection of witnesses".
The statement said that on November 26, 2004, Hrvatsko Slovo published excerpts of what it claimed was the testimony of a protected witness in the Blaskic case. It added that on December 1, 2004, the Prosecution at the ICTY filed an ex parte and confidential "Urgent Motion for an Order for the Immediate Cessation of Violations of Protective Measures".
Judge Orie took into account the fact that the witness had testified in closed session and had been granted protective measures. He concluded that those responsible for the publication of the transcripts in Hrvatsko Slovo were aware at the time of the publication that the transcripts were confidential documents that were not to be disclosed.