HAGUE/ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - The transcript of Croatian President Stipe Mesic's testimony before the Hague war crimes tribunal is a secret document and its publication constitutes a violation of witness protection measures, Florence
Hartmann, spokeswoman for the ICTY Prosecution told Hina on Sunday. Unidentified persons on Friday broke into the office of Zagreb attorney Anto Nobilo, where the transcripts of President Mesic's testimony before the ICTY were kept, stealing money and computer discs containing information about cases Nobilo's office is dealing with. Nobilo is the defence attorney for General Tihomir Blaskic before the ICTY. In a phone interview with Hina, Hartmann commented on the "Order for the Immediate Cessation of Violations of Protective Measures for Witnesses" of December 1, which the ICTY, under the presidency of judge Claude Jorda, sent to Croatia's papers 'Slobodna Dalmacija' and 'Glob
HAGUE/ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - The transcript of Croatian President
Stipe Mesic's testimony before the Hague war crimes tribunal is a
secret document and its publication constitutes a violation of
witness protection measures, Florence Hartmann, spokeswoman for
the ICTY Prosecution told Hina on Sunday.
Unidentified persons on Friday broke into the office of Zagreb
attorney Anto Nobilo, where the transcripts of President Mesic's
testimony before the ICTY were kept, stealing money and computer
discs containing information about cases Nobilo's office is
dealing with. Nobilo is the defence attorney for General Tihomir
Blaskic before the ICTY.
In a phone interview with Hina, Hartmann commented on the "Order for
the Immediate Cessation of Violations of Protective Measures for
Witnesses" of December 1, which the ICTY, under the presidency of
judge Claude Jorda, sent to Croatia's papers 'Slobodna Dalmacija'
and 'Globus'.
The publication of documents which are classified as secret is
forbidden, the spokeswoman said.
A November issue of the 'Globus' weekly and the November 28, 29 and
30 issues of 'Slobodna Dalmacija' daily bring statements from or
transcripts of the testimony given by a protected witness before
the Tribunal, reads the Order, a copy of which was sent to Hina today
as well.
Asked about the response of the Tribunal should the said media turn
a deaf ear to the order, Hartmann said it was against all standards
anywhere in the world to make public an entire secret court document
or its parts, and that court proceedings could be initiated against
those responsible for it.
ICTY spokesman Jim Landale, too, confirmed to Hina today that the
Tribunal would initiate court proceedings against those
responsible should the papers disregard the order.
It would be another thing if reporters asked President Mesic to
retell his testimony in The Hague, said Hartmann, once a reporter
for the French daily Le Monde.
The testimony of a protected witness must remain secret, she said.
How would it be if the testimony of a woman raped during the war in
Bosnia-Herzegovina were publicised and how would that affect her
family and children?, Hartmann asked. Finally, would not
publicising the testimonies of the few survivors of the Ovcara
massacre represent an invitation to kill those protected
witnesses?, she said.
The ICTY letter, which Landale said would be sent to the Croatian
media on Monday, urges Croatian authorities to take all necessary
measures for the cessation of the publication of testimonies and
provide the Tribunal with any information on the identity of those
potentially responsible for the disclosure of the statements and
violations of ICTY regulations and decisions regarding witness
protection.
(hina) rml