This is the highest fine imposed by the ICTY for contempt of court and given the living standard in Croatia (GDP per capita in 2004 amounted to EUR6,200), it will be difficult for the two men to pay the fine if the verdict becomes final.
"We are not satisfied with the verdict and we will appeal," Rebic's attorney Krsnik said in a telephone interview from The Hague. Marijacic's attorney Ivanovic also said he would appeal.
The attorneys advised Marijacic and Rebic, who waived their right to be present today in court, not to comment on the verdict until it became final. Marijacic declined to comment on the verdict and Rebic was unavailable for comment.
Attorney Krsnik said the verdict represented "a dangerous precedent for reporters and freedom of the press".
The Trial Chamber of the ICTY today found both Marijacic, editor in chief of Zadar-based Hrvatski List weekly, and Rebic, former head of the Security Information Service (SIS), guilty of contempt of the Tribunal. The accused are fined 15,000 euros each to be paid within 30 days to the Registrar of the Tribunal.
In its decision, the Trial Chamber stated that Ivica Marijacic and Markica Rebic deliberately disclosed information regarding the testimony of Johannes van Kuijk, a Dutch army officer who testified as a protected witness in the case against former Croatian Army general Tihomir Blaskic.
On 18 November 2004, an article appeared in Hrvatski List, concerning the Dutch army officer, who had testified in closed session during the Blaskic trial, the ICTY said. The article was written by Marijacic and was printed adjacent to an interview with Rebic, who was said to be the source of the material for the article, the Tribunal reported. In addition to revealing the identity of Lieutenant van Kuijk, the newspaper printed extracts from a written statement that he had given to the Prosecution in August 1997. The headline on the front page of the 18 November 2004 edition of Hrvatski List declared that what was being published was a "Secret Document," and this was repeated in the article written by Marijacic, the ICTY said.
The defence attorney stressed that the Trial Chamber said that no harm was done to Lieutenant van Kuijk as a result of the revelation of his identity and content of his closed session testimony.
Since its establishment in 1993, the Tribunal has held contempt proceedings against 18 people, including accused, defence counsel, witnesses, journalists and others for charges including intimidating witnesses, refusing to answer questions in court, leaking confidential court documents, and breaching protective measures.