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Dusko Jovanovic Indicted for Contempt of the Tribunal

Press Release . Communiqué de presse

(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)


CHAMBERS
CHAMBRES

The Hague, 8 April 2003

C.C./ P.I.S. / 744e

DUSKO JOVANOVIC INDICTED FOR CONTEMPT OF THE TRIBUNAL




On 7 April 2003, Judge Carmel Agius confirmed an Indictment against Dusko Jovanovic, the Director of a media company publishing the Montenegrin newspaper DAN, for contempt of court, pursuant to Rule 77 of the Tribunal’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence.


Judge Agius noted in the Decision that "according to the Indictment, Dusko Jovanovic is alleged to have disclosed to the general public the identity of a protected witness in the case Prosecutor v. Slobodan Milosevic in knowing violation of an order of a Trial Chamber, constituting contempt of the Tribunal pursuant to Rule 77 (A)(ii) of the Rules". He also considered that
"according to the material supporting the Indictment, witness K32 has received death threats since his identity was made public".


Judge Agius ordered that "the authorities of Serbia and Montenegro shall serve the Indictment on Dusko Jovanovic following the practice of the Tribunal" and that "the authorities of Serbia and Montenegro serving the Indictment shall inform Dusko Jovanovic of his legal obligation to surrender himself into the jurisdiction of the Tribunal and to be present in The Hague for
the purpose of the contempt proceedings against him on a date to be fixed by a Trial Chamber and to be communicated to him in due course. Dusko Jovanovic shall further be informed that in case of his failure to appear for the proceedings, a Trial Chamber will order his arrest and have him transferred to The Hague according to Rules 47(H) and 55 of the Rules
".


BACKGROUND

On 1 October 2002, the Prosecution filed a confidential report on witness K32. Two days later, the Trial Chamber found that there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Dusko Jovanovic for a violation of Rule 77 (A)(ii). Following the Chamber’s Order, the Prosecution filed an Indictment and supporting material on 8 October, including the statements of three witnesses and of Dusko
Jovanovic.




The full text of the Indictment is available upon request at the Public Information Services and is also available on the Internet site of the Tribunal.